Matt's Musings

Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey. Inherent Vice (2014) Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Josh Brolin, Katherine Waterston, Reese Witherspoon, and Owen Wilson Director: Paul Thomas Anderson About: This film from P.T. Anderson is probably a bit polarizing. Some people love it and some people don't care for it. I fall into the former category, obviously. The film is adapted from the novel by Thomas Pynchon and is a detective tale set in the 1970s. It's a wild story that features some incredible dialogue lifted right from the book. It's an impressive cast and there is a lot of great craft here. The sequences and shots are really eye-catching, and the performances all around are great. I love the ...

Throughout 2025 I'm turning my focus to Directors. They help craft the vision on screen that makes a movie work. This year I'm looking at five favorite films from 18 directors I admire and 10 films directed by different women that I have enjoyed. Join me Fridays and Saturdays throughout 2025 as we take this journey. Sideways (2004) Starring : Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Virginia Madsen, and Sandra Oh Director : Alexander Payne About : Payne's films feel lived in. That's one of the things I like best. They feel like real people living in real situations. That's the case with Sideways , which is a wild film based on a novel from Rex Pickett. It's always meant a bit more to me, too, because it's set where I used to live in wine country on the Central Coast of California. I think we've all had a friend like the guy played by Haden Church at some point, which feels relatable. I really enjoy Giamatti in this role, too. He has done some great work with ...

 The 2025 NFL Draft is coming at the end of April. It kicks off on Thursday, April 24. The next class of NFL players will be in the league, and on our fantasy teams. Over the next couple of weeks, I'll be looking at the top options at each position heading into the draft. Today, it's quarterbacks. Unlike 2024, this isn't an incredible class. There is one good prospect and a couple guys that, if things break right, could be viable players. Let's look at the top three in the class: No. 1: Cam Ward No. 2: Sheduer Sanders No. 3: Jaxson Dart Ward figures to go No. 1 overall, and he should be a top pick in Superflex Dynasty drafts. Sanders and Dart figures to be in that next wave. At least one should go in the First Round of the NFL Draft. They both might. I don't think either is a lock to start in 2025, and I don't think either is a lock to succeed. I suspect Sanders will go in the late First Round of Superflex Drafts, with Dart somewhere in the Second Round. No. 4: ...

We have a flood of new films out this week. Below is my take on everything that’s playing in theaters and on streaming. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734. The Alto Knights (Theaters) Starring: Robert De Niro, Debra Messing, and Cosmo Jarvis Synopsis : Sometimes despite having all the right ingredients a project fails to come together. That’s the case with The Alto Knights, a high-profile film that opened March 21. The film is written by Nicholas Pileggi, who scripted both Casino and Goodfellas, and features Robert De Niro is a dual lead role. It’s based on the true story of Frank Costello and Vito Genovese, who grew up together in New York and ended up involved in Organized Crime. Genovese killed a couple guys, which forced him to flee to Europe. That left control of the organization to Costello, who preferred to keep a lower profile. When Genovese returned, delayed by the outbreak of World War II, it was a different city. His o...

We’re into April and that means Spring and some longer days and warmer temperatures. But there is still plenty of TV options, especially as we near the Emmy consideration window. What of these new shows is worth your time to check? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series. Wednesdays: The Studio, Streaming Wednesdays on Apple TV+ (Premiered March 26) About : This new show comes from Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. It focuses on the head of a movie studio (Rogen) as he tries to navigate all the perils of making films. The series features Ike Barinholz, Catherine O’Hara, and Kathryn Hahn as regulars, among others. It also features a series of cameos from those in the industry, with the first two episodes featuring Martin Scorsese and Greta Lee, among others. The pilot runs 45 minutes, while most of the rest of the 10-episode season spans about a half an hour. I love the focus, writing, and content of the series. Rogen is great in th...

  We've made it to April, and we're getting a mix of some interesting releases this month. Let's take a look at all that's in store for us in April! Friday, April 4: * A Minecraft Movie (Theaters) : This film has a decent cast but looks like it might be better for younger audiences than adults. Video game adaptations have been a mixed bag, but I'm hoping for some fun. * Freaky Tales (Theaters) : This one is an anthology of sorts, with four inter-connected tales set in 1987. They are of some varying quality, but Tom Hanks is great in a cameo and I enjoyed Pedro Pascal and some of the sequences here. * The Friend (Theaters) : This has been a bit under-the-radar. Still, a film starring Bill Murray and Naomi Watts has to pique your interest a bit. Will it be good? Who's to say. Thursday, April 10: * G20 (Prime Video): This action film focuses on a terrorist take over of the G20 Summit. Viola Davis is the lead, playing a badass American President. I'm intrigued ...