I had too much fun making these movie trailers...
Send me your reviews of two blockbusters debuting this Friday
I had a silly idea.
Naturally, I spent hours putting it together.

When I hosted 1A on NPR we used to do a monthly movie club. We’d pick a new film and ask listeners to send in their reviews on a scale of five stars. Now there are two highly anticipated movies coming out that I think would be great topics of discussion, and I’d love your help. At first I just wanted to drop a brief promo in the latest episode asking for your reviews.
…and then, my inner sketch comedian took the wheel. Overly caffeinated with no adult supervision. I think it turned out all right — at least it was fun to make.
Hope it makes you smile, and makes you send me your reviews of “Oppenheimer” and/or “Barbie”. They come out this Friday, July 21st, and I’m looking forward to both of them. Tell me what you think of the films: how many stars out of five, and why? Or share your questions about any of the themes in the film. I’m working on guests who can give you some answers. You can write me a review, or make a voice memo on your phone and email the file to me (if you’d like to be heard on the show).
By the way, I was considering not doing segments on these films in light of the strikes in Hollywood right now. But withholding our dollars from the movies is the wrong way to support these artists, since their livelihoods depend on our viewership. Many contracts pay them for each time a show is watched or a film is attended (those payments are called residuals). So in a roundabout way, giving money to the studios also puts money in the pockets of these artists who are fighting for fair contracts.
(Full disclosure: I’m a former member of SAG-AFTRA, one of the unions that’s on strike. I was a shop co-steward at KQED, helped negotiate two contracts and helped other public radio stations unionize. As a new business owner I empathize with managing the costs of production. As an artist I refuse to be played cheap for my work. I hope they resolve this quickly.)
Paid subscribers can comment with your movie reviews and questions on Substack, and everyone can email joshua@nightlightshow.com. Again, feel free to send me a voice memo if you like. And please, share my “trailer” with a friend to bring in more reviews… and to make them smile.