Here are a few good things to watch, especially on those cold, winter days when you don’t want to leave the house.
Freedom is slavery. War is peace. Ignorance is strength. We’ve heard these words before.
George Orwell is considered one of the most visionary authors of the 20th century. Two novels – Animal Farm and 1984, foretold what could happen.
When I sit down to write a book, I write it because there is some lie that I want to expose. My starting point is always a feeling of injustice.
The very concept of objective truth is fading out of this world. I’m going to set down what I dare not say aloud to anyone. This prospect frightens me much more than bombs.
Written and directed by Raoul Peck, Orwell: 2+2=5 follows Orwell’s career and the lessons he learned from 1984. It shows throughout the film how Orwell’s political observations are still relevant today.
In today’s world, let’s make Orwell fiction again. In the meantime, watch this documentary and think about what you can do to make the world better and not succumb to authoritarianism.
Peck uses newsreels, films, photographs, documentaries, and notorious speeches to investigate how the authoritarianism of the early 20th century is still ever-present. Narrator Damian Lewis is mesmerizing as he reads Orwell’s personal letters and journals, which flow so freely and subtly, you sometimes forget it is an actor reading the words.
The documentary is dense, informative, and, at times, chilling as it examines why totalitarianism remains so alluring. There is a lot of information packed in 119 minutes, but that’s okay. I feel it’s worth the time.
You can watch Orwell: 2+2=5 on Amazon, AppleTV, YouTube, and GooglePlay.
Not that I would ever advocate such things, but if you sail the high seas, the file that is 6.8GB is the only legitimate copy at this time. The rest are some weird zombie movie, or so I’m told. Really, I wouldn’t know.
Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet
“Du Fu: China’s Greatest Poet,” a 58-minute BBC documentary. I had never heard of Du Fu before I saw it sitting in the side panel on YouTube. I ignored it at first, but it kept popping up, so I thought I would give it a go. I figured, if this guy is their greatest poet, maybe I can learn to be a better poet by learning about him and his work.
The film was presented by BBC presenter Michael Wood and actor Ian McKellen read several poems translated into English.
For more than 3,000 years, China has been known for having the oldest living tradition of poetry in the world. Du Fu is the greatest of them all.
He lived in the 8th century during the Tang dynasty. This was a time of great cultural accomplishments which ultimately ended in warfare and millions dead. This is the world in which Du Fu wrote.
Du Fu traveled around China immersing himself in its ancient traditions and admiring the ancient monuments, and, through his poetry, we see a bright beautiful world through his eyes. His favorite place was Tu Fu, the birthplace of Confucius.
Because he was able to travel, he left a detailed and intimate autobiography in the form of hundreds of poems. He wrote right up to end of his life and his legacy leaves us a beauty we might otherwise have forgotten.
In China, poets have always been seen as the trusted chroniclers of the people’s hearts and the nation’s history. And for the Chinese, Du Fu is ‘more than a poet,’ says Wood. ‘For generations he has been the guardian of the moral conscience of the nation.’
The poem, “Dreaming of Li Bai” is about his friend, Li Bai. They were once extremely close and then went their separate ways. Though they never saw each other again, Du Fu still thought of him.
Separation by death in the end you get over
separation in life is a continuing grief
no word from you old friend, but you’ve been in my dreams
as if you know how much I miss you
I feel as if you are no longer mortal
the distance between us is so great
the waters are deep
the waves are wide
don’t let the river gods take you
Li Bai died on a drunken boating trip, giving the poem an eerie premonition. Li Bai taught Du Fu what poetry could be and that beauty is preserved in poetry for future generations.
Li Bai and Du Fu are considered China’s greatest poets. It’s so cool that they lived at the same time and knew each other. The documentary is a glimpse into Du Fu’s life, but it also shows how two people can see the same thing and write about them differently. Du Fu and Li Bai wrote differently because they saw the world differently. We are blessed to have their poetry today and to see a small piece of the past.
The documentary had me so interested, I went out and purchased a copy of selected poems by Du Fu to add to my reading list for 2026.
You can watch the entire documentary on YouTube.
Bad Faith: Christian Nationalism’s Unholy War on Democracy
Owen Gleiberman, of Variety said, “Bad Faith is the scariest movie I’ve seen in a long time.” I wholeheartedly agree.
Bad Faith premiered in 2024 and explores the rise of christian nationalism in the United States. It covers how christian nationalism opposes American democracy and the role of christian nationalists in the conservative movement, which began with Paul Weyrich.
If you’ve never heard of Weyrich before, he’s a piece of shit. Along with Jerry Falwell and their respective organizations, the Council for National Policy (CNP) and the Moral Majority, they have opposed everything millions have fought for over the last half century. They are supportive of using the government to promote Christianity. They are also in the mix of people behind the January 6 attack on the Capitol as well as helping to create Project 2025.
This is all scary for me because I was in an evangelical cult in the early 1990s. I left because I asked too many questions. I left because the people involved hated what I actually believed and who I stood up for. I left because, ultimately, they hated my questions and I wasn’t welcome anymore. This documentary puts forth many of the same things I experienced 30 years ago. The only difference now, is these people are in positions of power and can legitimately hurt me and the people I care for.
Through archival footage and modern exposé techniques, viewers learn about the relentless machine behind christian nationalism which seeks to destroy the American democracy and rebuild it as an authoritarian, christian nationalist vision.
The film details how Weyrich used the CNP to bring in millions of dollars, which was effectively used to merge conservative Evangelicals with the Republican Party. Its next goal is to overthrow democracy.
The leaders of this movement have spent decades stirring up fear and anger. Everything is through a biblical lens and battles of good and evil. This kind of shit terrified me back in 1994. It has only grown in power since then.
Where do we go from here? I don’t know. But if we don’t start showing up to vote these kinds of people out, America as we know it will fall.
A year ago, my friend, Conner, and I made jokes about which re-education camp we would be sent to and wondered if we could swing a deal to be in the same one. We don’t joke about it anymore.
Bad Faith is available to watch almost everywhere. Click this link for the documentary’s Link Tree to Amazon, Kanopy, YouTube, Tubi, Peacock, Google Play, Apple TV, and OVID.tv.
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