👋 Your watchlist just got better — here’s what to watch this week

• 🎥 Havoc | 4.25

• 🎥 The Accountant 2 | 4.25

• 🎥 The Legend of Ochi | 4.25

Read time: 3 minutes | 635 words

TRENDING

• 🌹 The Roses assembles a comedy dream team with Cumberbatch, Colman, Samberg and McKinnon in Jay Roach's matrimonial war story.

• 🎥 Spielberg brilliantly reimagined Wizard of Oz's iconic door transition into War of the Worlds' harrowing basement scene.

• 💀 Weapons teaser (Barbarian universe) debuts Zach Cregger's horror about mysteriously vanishing schoolchildren.

• 🤡 John Carpenter laments horror directors' too self-seriousness in a conversation around David Cronenberg.

• 🎬 Brian De Palma reveals Steven Spielberg directed a single camera shot during Scarface's climactic gunfight scene while visiting the set.

• 🦈 "Jumping the shark" originated from Jon Hein when Fonzie's 1977 water-ski stunt on Happy Days, now a warning for desperate writing.

TOGETHER WITH BUZZTOWN

We've been talking about this guy for six months...

Luke Barnett's short, The Crossing Over Express, got nearly 2 million views in 30 days, for a personal gut-wrenching story (shot in just 1 day with a skeleton crew). 

Here's what else happened: 

• 6 managers / agents reached out to rep him

• 100s of fans reached out about the emotional core

• Countless industry pros re-shared the post 

• Featured in Variety, Deadline, No Film School, etc. 

• Currently developing a pitch for a full feature version 

If you’re a serious filmmaker or screenwriter and want to learn Luke’s playbook, we’re chatting with him live this Friday at 12pm PST / 3pm EST.

FEATURE 

🎭 5 Ways "Adolescence" Weaponizes Dialogue

In Netflix's psychological thriller "Adolescence," conversations become battlegrounds where power constantly shifts between a teenage murder suspect and the counselor writing his pre-sentence report.

Created by showrunner Sarah Mendes, the series demonstrates how sustained tension can emerge from simple conversations in confined spaces. The show's third episode offers a masterclass in five specific dialogue techniques that writers in any medium can learn from:

1. Tactical Deflection

Jamie Miller repeatedly redirects personal questions with counterattacks on his counselor's methods. When Briony probes about his father, Jamie immediately shifts focus: "This all started because I said you sounded like a granny. Now you're just going on about masculine stuff." This avoidance behavior creates immediate tension as viewers instinctively wonder what Jamie is hiding.

2. Boundary Establishment

Early in their session, Jamie attempts to gain leverage by asking to see Briony's notes. Her response—"I've been employed by your team, but I don't work for you"—establishes professional boundaries that create a dramatic Chekhov's gun, as viewers anticipate these limitations being tested throughout their interaction. This anticipation sustains tension even in quiet moments.

3. Vulnerability Trap

The most tension-filled exchanges occur when Jamie reveals something deeply personal about his father's disappointment. "When I'd fuck up, he'd just look away. Pretend he didn't see... Maybe he just didn't want me to see him looking... Sorry. I don't know. Ashamed." This vulnerability immediately transforms into manipulation when he demands: "You're supposed to say he wasn't [ashamed]."

4. Confession-Retraction Loop

Perhaps the most brilliant tension-sustaining technique involves Jamie revealing damning information only to immediately deny it. "I had a knife. She was scared, but I didn't do that. I could have touched any part of her body I wanted to... I didn't mean any of that. I'm just tired." This pattern creates cognitive dissonance that drives viewers' investment in discovering the truth.

5. Terminal Revelation

The episode culminates when Briony announces their final session, fundamentally altering the conversation's stakes. This revelation creates immediate tension through time pressure—everything unsaid must now be addressed or remain forever unspoken, triggering Jamie's desperate plea: "Don't you even like me a bit? What did you think about me, then?"

In an entertainment landscape driven by data analytics and algorithmic recommendations, "Adolescence" proves audiences hunger for narrative experiences that engage directly with psychological reality rather than merely distracting from it.

PUNCHLINES