bradley babendir

@therealbradbabs.bsky.social

580 Followers 361 Following

writer (the baffler, the boston globe, bright wall dark room, etc) & photographer

tumblr post from 3/3/2018: one of my patients came in for an emergency visit, because she snapped the wire on her retainer watching the movie when MBJ took his shirt off she clenched her teeth so fucking hard she snapped it. that is the fucking funniest shit ever to me this tiny 17 year old girl thirsting so goddamn hard she busted steel
spider-man climbing out of his grave
It’s not until later in the film, after they’ve survived an exceptional train-based action set piece, that she has a real confrontation with what this means. She’s standing in a warehouse with a replica of her childhood home behind her and breaks down, as if the only way to stop somebody who is going around doing The Fabelmans to everyone else is to do an even bigger The Fabelmans to them. She, rightly, feels violated and confused. She’s rocketed through the first chunk of her journey on the force of her empathetic powers and then bang: a brick wall. She knows everyone better than they know themselves and yet: do they know her better than she knows herself, too?
Steven Spielberg, as I think we can all agree, is our nation’s foremost child of divorce. Even when he’s not dealing with this directly—as in E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, (improbably) War of the Worlds and, of course, The Fabelmans, which fictionalizes the Spielberg family rupture—it seems to creep into his projects at the margins, either a persistent anxiety or a worldview too baked-in to extricate. Many of his films seem to nod toward the fragility of the nuclear unit (The Sugarland Express), or to present suburbia, and the family in particular, as sinister in some way (Poltergeist, A.I.). Even Hook—the most obvious expression of Spielberg’s interest in (or perhaps obsession with) Peter Pan—is predicated on a family in undeniable crisis. If Close Encounters asks—perhaps obliquely—what impossible extremity would take a man from his wife and three children, E.T. asks what it’s like to be left.
mikey madison holding her oscar
Every Steven Spielberg hater is alike, while every Spielberg defender defends him in their own way. In a crowd of twenty, hardly two of them will have the same favorites. One of them will harangue you about the surprising nuance of Munich; one of them will make some exhaustingly contrarian defense of Temple of Doom, the most divorced movie ever made; one of them will point at the sheer thematic and emotional Magnitude of the prestige ‘90s films as you would point at an elephant, wordlessly; one of them will explain why Lincoln isn’t, despite appearances, the quintessence of feckless Obama-era compromise-for-its-own-sake liberalism. I bet somebody somewhere even thinks The Post is a masterpiece.
Starting tomorrow! Over the next several weeks, we at This is a Newsletter LLC will be publishing a series of essays on the science fiction films of Steven Spielberg. Ever heard of him? This, of course, is leading up to his new film, Disclosure Day, coming out in early June. Just like with last year's PTA series, there'll be a couple a week and then you'll get a long dispatch with everyone's review of the new film. I'm very excited about this! Hopefully you are too!
John Hinckley Jr calls Trump shooting at same hotel he shot Reagan ‘spooky’ Hinckley says ‘bad things keep happening’ at Washington Hilton and it was ‘not a secure place to hold big events’
photo of ayo dosunmu in a bulls jersey
a graphic the marquee broadcast showed which says: Teams this season when... Scoring first: .663 Scoring more: 1.000
"Dr. Crawford makes it clear how to assess and optimize your reproductive and hormone health. The Fertility Formula is not only crucial for those who are planning to have children, it should be read by every woman."
screenshot of the subject line of a pr email reading: This book “should be read by every woman” (Dr. Andrew Huberman) THE FERTILITY FORMULA by Dr. Natalie Crawford (Penguin Life; 4/14/26)
a truck that says “junk and trash” on it
Screenshot of a headline: Why won't Artemis II land on the moon?
NY Times live updates screenshot: The astronauts have crossed the crew access arm to the “white room” outside the Orion capsule. Here technicians will help them get their helmets on and strap them into their seats in Orion.
Trump claims Iran's president has asked US for a ceasefire The US would only consider a ceasefire with Iran if the Hormuz strait opens, Donald Trump has declared on social media. He said Iran had asked for a ceasefire, writing: Iran’s New Regime President, much less Radicalized and far more intelligent than his predecessors, has just asked the United States of America for a CEASEFIRE! We will consider when Hormuz Strait is open, free, and clear. Until then, we are blasting Iran into oblivion or, as they say, back to the Stone Ages!!! President DJT
a photo of me petting my dog rosie’s belly
a photo of MJ Lenderman playing at the 2025 Green River Festival
arrow's promotional photo for their forthcoming 4k jackie chan's breakout hits box set
nicole kidman freedom meme
a shot from the yankees giants game where abetting except the adobe ad behind rafael devers is the only thing that doesn’t look like it’s had all of the contrast and saturation sucked out of it
he spectacle works quite well. rocky sounds like a purring cat. gosling is the only man on earth who can get close to making goddard’s often putrid dialogue function. i laughed. i had a good time. huller nearly wrestles this thing into meaning something through sheer force of glower and she shines in the movie’s one genuinely audacious swing, her karaoke performance. ultimately, lord and miller are children’s filmmakers (quite good ones!) and andy weir writes kids books for adult men who pretend to understand theoretical physics and drew goddard is a zombie and the movie is hamstrung by those essential facts of its nature. but when they’re skidding near the atmosphere of a glowing green planet, well, it’s pretty fuckin cool.
tumblr post from 2018: one of my patients came in for an emergency visit, because she snapped the wire on her retainer watching the movie when MBJ took his shirt off she clenched her teeth so fucking hard she snapped it. that is the fucking funniest shit ever to me this tiny 17 year old girl thirsting so goddamn hard she busted steel
a black and white cat on the arm of a couch and a grey and white cat on the floor looking up at her
screenshot of a People also ask table on google What did George Orwell say about the Jews? What did Thomas Jefferson say about Jews? Is there a South Park episode about Jews? Are Jews more Democrat or Republican?
slim pickens riding the bomb in dr strangelove
a hat that says hello i am fleeing the american century of humiliation can you show me where to buy white monster energy drinks? in chinese and english
A massive nor’easter, our region’s second major winter storm of the season, is set to batter Southern New England with blizzard conditions overnight Sunday into Monday, pounding the region with up to 2 feet of heavy, blowing snow, damaging winds, and coastal flooding — virtually paralyzing Boston and surrounding areas, threatening widespread power outages, and making any travel dangerous
a flyer for state senate candidate Burhan with the slogan “i want to believe a better massachusetts is possible.”
The upcoming negotiation could last longer, as owners have become vocal about the necessity for a salary cap, as sports like the NFL, NBA and NHL use, in the wake of rampant spending by teams like the Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Mets. Clark oversaw the negotiations for this current CBA alongside deputy director Bruce Meyer. Both are strongly opposed to a cap, which the union believes would not help competitive balance in the sport.
"It’s probably best not to pick a book on a niche discipline or debate, unless you’re confident that you can contextualize the subject matter in a relevant and engaging way for the uninitiated. Book reviews are among the trickiest pieces to write, because they require you to make readers interested in a book they might have no intention of reading. Best strategy: do not make it about the book, make it about the thing that the book is about, and use the book solely as a jumping-off point for an independently good essay about the thing."
PRESS RELEASE Governor Healey Announces Massachusetts to Become First State to Deploy ChatGPT Across Executive Branch Administration is launching enterprise AI assistant for state workforce
"Making a mistake with a player is a bad look on its own, but for the GM to make this mistake right after trading for Acuna is a very bad look. This embarrassing mistake, repeatedly calling Acuna a switch-hitter when he's not, is a rough look for the White Sox general manager. Any fan can figure out Acuna isn't a switch-hitter with a quick search on the internet. Acuna isn't a switch-hitter, and never has been. For Getz, the general manager of an MLB team, let alone the one that just acquired this player, to make this mistake is more than an embarrassing mistake. This statement doesn't help quell the embarrassment for Getz. It's still an unfathomable mistake to make, especially after negotiating a trade for the player not long ago."
sam darnold in a jets jersey. it says “out indefinitely. mononucleosis”
photo of someone turning a light off
A few weeks later, the speaker announced a suite of eight bills that would turn state and local police officers, judges, teachers, social workers and others into an auxiliary extension of the federal immigration system. It makes the presence of an undocumented person with a final deportation order a state crime in Tennessee. And it mandates that officials report the presence of undocumented persons to ICE, while criminalizing disclosure of information about immigration enforcement activities to the public.
That's Amore! is an upcoming American musical romantic comedy film written and directed by Nick Vallelonga, and starring John Travolta, Katherine Heigl, D. B. Sweeney, William Fichtner and Christopher Walken.
"Triumph of the Will" is very controversial, but you can't deny that as a piece of filmmaking it is a very impressive achievement. You can like something without agreeing with its politics. Yes, probably so. I might've liked if the film could have been a little more about her activities and achievements, which are described in the end titles. But, also, our operation was limited to twenty days, and to two or three days after Donald went into the White House. Maybe it would've been more interesting if it was really about what she's done as First Lady. Are you going to do "Heat 2"? No, I'm not. I think I probably interrupted my collaboration with Michael Mann.
rosie the dog playing with her tennis ball in the snow.
rosie the dog running around in the snow, her ears flapping
a photo of a beer in front of the bears game
dril tweet: "This Whole Thing Smacks Of Gender," i holler as i overturn my uncle's barbeque grill and turn the 4th of July into the 4th of Shit
a screenshot from phantom thread, where daniel day lewis is saying: are you a special agent sent here to ruin my evening and possibly my entire life?
Hi Babendir, I hope this note finds you well. My name is Jonathan Franzen, and I’m the author of The End of the End of the Earth (https://a.co/d/1FgSsqX), along with several other works of fiction and nonfiction. I often write essays exploring technology, environmental issues,particularly bird conservation,and the role of the novelist in modern culture. I recently came across your work and was struck by the depth and clarity with which you engage questions at the intersection of Christian faith and culture. Your books,including Saving Truth, Grand Central Question, and More Than a White Man’s Religion,reflect a rigorous commitment to exploring complex ideas and guiding thoughtful reflection. Your personal journey and dedication to bridging historical, theological, and cultural insights is genuinely inspiring. As someone who also writes in the nonfiction space, particularly around productivity, self-development, and culture, I’d love to connect and learn more about how you sustain meaningful creative output over time. How do you decide which ideas are worth developing into full projects versus setting aside? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts and hopefully continuing the conversation.
Ella McCay (Brooks, 2025) BOSTON - They’re calling themselves “Ella McCaniacs.” For now, they’re just flooding into local cinemas. But next fall, they’ll be taking over polling places across the country. Democratic incumbents at every level of government are shaking in their bluchers, terrified of primary challenges from the pro-social safety net, pro-sports gambling, anti-marijauna technocratic wave of so-called “Ella McCandidates,” inspired by the fictional Ella McCay, the titular character of James L. Brooks’s first film as writer director in 15 years. The Lieutenant Governor turned Governor of a for-some-reason-unnamed state with an unspecified-but-implied-Democratic party affiliation who scares allies with her competence and was somehow immediately hamstrung by a sex scandal involving no infidelity or harm portrayed by the confusingly-similarly-named Emma Mackey is “the model we need to emulate,” one source, granted anonymity to protect their safety, said. “The Democratic party is over,” they continued. “It’s the dEllaMcCratic party now.” Municipal candidates have universally agreed to test the tomato sauce of all family-run pizza chains as a consumer protection effort within their 60 days in office. “There will be no watered down sauce,” they said in a joint statement. 1
a screenshot of deadline's website. there's a breaking news banner which reads "Paramount Launches Hostile Takeover Bid for Warner Bros. Discovery" and a headline beneath it that reads "Donald Trump Lashes out at Paramount Owners in Rant about Marjorie Taylor Greene's Appearance on '60 Minutes'"
my top 5 albums from spotify: 1. smile by brain wilson. 2. the brutalist score. 3. let god sort em out by clipse. 4. analysis paralysis by four year strong. 5. equus caballus by men i trust
a screenshot of an instagram story i posted that has a photo of my dog running with a ball and says: hi everybody - weird question lol... i have been slowly working on a book proposal about layoffs and so... have you: - been laid off? - had to lay people off? - been part of a layoff planning / execution conversation? and are you: willing to talk with me about it? and not related to me? let me know lol
a photo of my fantasy football bench, showing ceedee lamb, chubba hubbard, ty benson, and brock bowers all out.