Joshua Rivera
@jmrivera.bsky.social
writer for hire. bylines at Vulture, Slate, The Ringer, and Vanity Fair. movies and tv and games and books and
Pinned
Joshua Rivera
@jmrivera.bsky.social
· Nov 25
Oh I never did an intro post. So:
I’m a writer interested in pop culture and how we make meaning from it. I was entertainment writer at polygon, and before that had stints at EW, GQ, and freelanced everywhere. Stories saved my life and I want to help people understand them, and each other, better.
I’m a writer interested in pop culture and how we make meaning from it. I was entertainment writer at polygon, and before that had stints at EW, GQ, and freelanced everywhere. Stories saved my life and I want to help people understand them, and each other, better.
digging a hole my exact size and shape: go birds
November 28, 2025 at 9:47 PM
digging a hole my exact size and shape: go birds
reminding Jalen Hurts that sulleys never quit
November 28, 2025 at 8:41 PM
reminding Jalen Hurts that sulleys never quit
I have complained about this before but I hate “the mighty nein” as a title so much
November 28, 2025 at 8:36 PM
I have complained about this before but I hate “the mighty nein” as a title so much
to me it’s less a misstep and more indicative of Zhao’s whole deal. she provides plenty of space for her actors to go wonderful places, but as a storyteller, I find her work hollow. borrowing emotion instead of inciting it.
i'm pro-Hamnet, but there is no question in my mind that Zhao should have realized using On the Nature of Daylight was a mistake. even Richter was against it. the kind of boneheaded move that she had plenty of time to correct, even after its festival premieres. someone should've forced the issue.
November 28, 2025 at 5:39 PM
to me it’s less a misstep and more indicative of Zhao’s whole deal. she provides plenty of space for her actors to go wonderful places, but as a storyteller, I find her work hollow. borrowing emotion instead of inciting it.
almost forgot the new Indiana jones ends with him risking it all for archimedes
November 28, 2025 at 3:50 PM
almost forgot the new Indiana jones ends with him risking it all for archimedes
That’s right my man…show them that Mr boop didn’t die for nothing
November 28, 2025 at 3:47 AM
That’s right my man…show them that Mr boop didn’t die for nothing
I’ve never read Starman outside of the first few issues, I should probably just finally knock it out soon
Highly recommended: this long piece by Alex Dueben on 30 years of James Robinson’s Starman. @comicsjournal.bsky.social
We are all in the gutter: Starman at 30, part 1 - The Comics Journal
Starman is 30 years old? Where did the time go? Good thing Alex Dueben is here to do a deep dive on this influential James Robinson/Tony Harris superhero series.
www.tcj.com
November 28, 2025 at 3:29 AM
I’ve never read Starman outside of the first few issues, I should probably just finally knock it out soon
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
thinking of this classic tweet on thanksgiving day
November 28, 2025 at 1:10 AM
thinking of this classic tweet on thanksgiving day
Mahomes is so good his embarrassing O line is basically part of the show
November 28, 2025 at 12:46 AM
Mahomes is so good his embarrassing O line is basically part of the show
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
The only video I can think of to share at this portion of family Thanksgiving is Connor O'Malley -- Restart The Irish Mob. Sometimes it's better to say nothing and contribute in other ways youtu.be/oYLxkGz00d0?...
Irish Mob
YouTube video by Conner O'Malley
youtu.be
November 28, 2025 at 12:05 AM
The only video I can think of to share at this portion of family Thanksgiving is Connor O'Malley -- Restart The Irish Mob. Sometimes it's better to say nothing and contribute in other ways youtu.be/oYLxkGz00d0?...
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
![A float of Goku from Dragon Ball Z, smiling and holding his hand to his head with two fingers extended. There is a caption that says [CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] overlaid on top of him.](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:r3jz2av542vhxbsouxvzrwe2/bafkreigoci7n3zt72bjp6xhr7g7g7h5gbte2bovkgomwmd5ircmjersx4m@jpeg)
Mr Fantasy far too sinister a presence for a family event
November 27, 2025 at 3:50 PM
Mr Fantasy far too sinister a presence for a family event
benson boone has got every boy vocalist hitting the high notes when they should be doing backflips
November 27, 2025 at 3:17 PM
benson boone has got every boy vocalist hitting the high notes when they should be doing backflips
did we learn about what the upside down is yet
November 27, 2025 at 2:50 PM
did we learn about what the upside down is yet
I’ll give it to “USians” discourse, at least it’s new
November 27, 2025 at 1:34 AM
I’ll give it to “USians” discourse, at least it’s new
Phenomenal movie
"Once in a while, you see a movie that doesn’t feel made, but extracted from a dreaming mind. It won’t go to you and hand over its meanings. You have to go to it." I reviewed The Secret Agent, my favorite film of 2025. Haunting, beautiful, profound. www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-...
The Secret Agent movie review (2025) | Roger Ebert
This is one of the year’s best films, and one of the most distinctive.
www.rogerebert.com
November 26, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Phenomenal movie
idk man lizza drip feeding this thing out to juice his substack is disgusting, everyone continues to be the worst in this whole affair
November 26, 2025 at 8:58 PM
idk man lizza drip feeding this thing out to juice his substack is disgusting, everyone continues to be the worst in this whole affair
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
someone should write a book about this
The thing that makes “game of the year” a fun conversation is the absence of a widely recognized award and every attempt to legitimize or take “Game of the Year” (The Game Award) seriously just ruins the whole thing
November 26, 2025 at 8:45 PM
someone should write a book about this
really something how the same company can just ruin military dot com the way it has ruined polygon and dozens of other sites
www.cjr.org/feature/mili...
www.cjr.org/feature/mili...
The vanquishing of Military.com.
Former staffers say a new owner dealt the respected publication a death blow when service members and veterans needed it most.
www.cjr.org
November 26, 2025 at 7:09 PM
really something how the same company can just ruin military dot com the way it has ruined polygon and dozens of other sites
www.cjr.org/feature/mili...
www.cjr.org/feature/mili...
[christian bale when a movie he’s in is bad]
I’ve Christian Failed…
I’ve Christian Failed…
November 26, 2025 at 7:03 PM
[christian bale when a movie he’s in is bad]
I’ve Christian Failed…
I’ve Christian Failed…
The thing that makes “game of the year” a fun conversation is the absence of a widely recognized award and every attempt to legitimize or take “Game of the Year” (The Game Award) seriously just ruins the whole thing
November 26, 2025 at 6:16 PM
The thing that makes “game of the year” a fun conversation is the absence of a widely recognized award and every attempt to legitimize or take “Game of the Year” (The Game Award) seriously just ruins the whole thing
an interesting thing about the knives out movies is Benoit Blanc’s fundamental compassion: his ego drives him to solve cases but he knows the truth is indiscriminate, and just as likely to hurt the people who ask for his help. His struggle isn’t the mystery, but the moral cost of its solution
November 26, 2025 at 5:25 PM
an interesting thing about the knives out movies is Benoit Blanc’s fundamental compassion: his ego drives him to solve cases but he knows the truth is indiscriminate, and just as likely to hurt the people who ask for his help. His struggle isn’t the mystery, but the moral cost of its solution
Deadhouse Gates lost me for a bit but
i finally finished it and that is one cool book man. Mappo….<\3
i finally finished it and that is one cool book man. Mappo….<\3
November 26, 2025 at 4:48 PM
Deadhouse Gates lost me for a bit but
i finally finished it and that is one cool book man. Mappo….<\3
i finally finished it and that is one cool book man. Mappo….<\3
like anyone could forget krypton
Over the last 15 years, it's gotten difficult to track how many superhero shows have come and gone. Here are 15 that went completely under the radar.
15 Superhero TV Shows You Definitely Forgot Existed - TVLine
www.tvline.com
November 26, 2025 at 12:13 AM
like anyone could forget krypton
Reposted by Joshua Rivera
Really wild situation here: a celebrated and well-regarded indie dev and publisher is facing shutdown because Valve banned their game from Steam and won't talk to them about it, at all.
www.ign.com/articles/uns...
www.ign.com/articles/uns...
Unsettling Horror Game Horses Banned From Steam, Leaving Studio With 'High Risk' of Closure - IGN
Indie horror game Horses is preparing to launch on December 2, on the Epic Games Store, GOG, Itch.io, and the Humble Store. But one place it won't be is on Steam, because Steam has banned the game for...
www.ign.com
November 25, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Really wild situation here: a celebrated and well-regarded indie dev and publisher is facing shutdown because Valve banned their game from Steam and won't talk to them about it, at all.
www.ign.com/articles/uns...
www.ign.com/articles/uns...