Movie
Speaking to Time Instead of the Room
Much of modern communication is oriented toward immediacy. Writing is framed as something meant to be consumed quickly, reacted to instantly, and replaced just as fast by whatever comes next. Under this model, the value of a piece is measured almost entirely by its initial reception. If it does not land immediately, it is treated as a failure. This assumption narrows the purpose of writing and misunderstands how meaning actually travels through time.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcastabout 17 hours ago in Critique
Katie Holmes Honors Dawson’s Creek Costar James Van Der Beek After His Death at 48. He Is Beloved.
Image credits This article includes images obtained from a third party source (people.com). James Van Der Beek and Katie Holmes appear in these images. Image credits belong to Jim Spellman for WireImage and the Everett Collection.
By James Andersonabout 23 hours ago in Critique
Practice vs Performance
One of the quiet pressures shaping modern communication is the assumption that anything written should be immediately shareable. Drafts blur into declarations, and exploration is mistaken for conclusion. Under this pressure, writing becomes performative by default. The moment words are placed on a page, they are treated as finished statements rather than steps in a process. This expectation distorts both how writing is produced and how it is received, collapsing practice into performance and leaving little room for genuine development.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcasta day ago in Critique
Slippers vs. Statues: Melania's Untold Human Story(Part.3)
In this series, I’ve explored Melania Trump through a lens Hollywood doesn’t have: the lens of a neighbor. I was born in 1973 in Croatia, just thirty miles from where she grew up in Sevnica, Slovenia. I’ve written about her "Stone Face" as a reflex of Balkan Survival Mode and how her marriage to Donald reflects the "Grč"—that deep-seated Balkan muscle spasm of seeking security in a cold patriarch.
By Feliks Karić3 days ago in Critique
Why the Melania Biopic Failed: Decoding the Power Dynamic (Part.2)
In my last piece, I talked about sharing the same "sandbox" with Melania Trump—born just thirty miles apart in the former Yugoslavia. (If you haven't read it yet, you can find Part 1: Why the Melania Movie Missed Its Mark ). I explained that her famous “Stone Face” isn't mystery or Botox; it’s a defensive reflex we call Balkan Survival Mode. But to understand why she stays in a spotlight she clearly resents, we have to go into the basement of the Balkan soul and look at the man who cast the first shadow: the Father.
By Feliks Karić5 days ago in Critique
Why the Melania Movie Missed Its Mark (Part.1)
I was born in 1973 in Croatia. Melania Knavs—the woman the world knows as Melania Trump—was born in 1970 in Sevnica, Slovenia. If you took a compass and drew a circle, you’d see we basically shared the same sandbox. My front door is maybe thirty miles from where she first inhaled that crisp Slovenian air.
By Feliks Karić7 days ago in Critique
AI as a Reflective Surface
Much of the confusion surrounding artificial intelligence comes from treating it as an agent rather than a surface. When people speak about AI “doing the thinking,” “creating the ideas,” or “speaking for someone,” they are often projecting agency onto a system that does not possess intention, belief, or understanding. This projection obscures what is actually happening in many real-world uses. In those cases, AI is not acting as a source of meaning, but as a surface that reflects, redirects, and reshapes what is already present.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast10 days ago in Critique
The Layer Cake.
The Layer Cake" Movie Review. One of the great crime dramas is "The Layer Cake". I have watched this movie many times. It deals with drug dealers, schemes and shakedowns. Daniel Craig is a drug dealer with a plan to get in and get out of the business.
By Robert M Massimi. ( Broadway Bob).13 days ago in Critique
Marty Supreme: Movie Review
Marty Supreme presents itself as a sports film, but it isn’t really about victory, legacy, or even competition. It’s a hyper focused character study of an athlete whose entire sense of self is tied to proving his superiority even when the proof is unnecessary, humiliating, or already lost.
By Louise Noel 17 days ago in Critique
When Is a Move Final?
The Commitment Problem in Modern Chess Modern chess operates under a fractured commitment model that no longer aligns with how players think, how turns function in most games, or how chess itself is actually played across physical and digital formats. At the heart of the problem is that chess treats physical contact with a piece as binding commitment while simultaneously relying on a separate explicit action to end a player’s turn. This creates a logical contradiction: a move becomes final before the turn is over. In most turn-based games, interaction with game components is provisional until the player explicitly signals the end of their turn. Chess is an anomaly in this respect, and the inconsistency becomes increasingly visible in modern play.
By Peter Thwing - Host of the FST Podcast18 days ago in Critique
"Companion" (2025) Review
I genuinely thought this was going to be a rip-off of M3GAN. No joke, when I first saw this trailer I thought: “O God, they’re knocking-off M3GAN already!” Now, were I the more-evolved being I aspire to be everyday, I would’ve stopped and considered: “Well, I thought that movie was a ‘Chucky’ rip-off… but it actually surprised me!”
By Taylor Rigsby18 days ago in Critique
