Matt's Musings

 This week we had the new film from Steven Spielberg, as well as a few smaller releases. Below is my take on the new films I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734. Disclosure Day (Theaters) Starring : Emily Blunt, Josh O’Connor, Eve Hewson, Colman Domingo, and Colin Firth Synopsis : Back in the 1990s, on the X-Files, the tagline was, “I Want to Believe.” I’d assume that concept resonates with Steven Spielberg. Dating back to his early work in the 1970s, extra-terrestrials have been a part of his cinematic landscape. One of his earliest hits, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, featured a man coming face-to-face with beings from another planet. He followed in the 1980s with ET, and later with a new version of War of the Worlds. This summer, he’s again returning to visitors from outer space with Disclosure Day. And it’s a vision of the subject and the world that is among his best films. We begin with Daniel (O’Connor...

 We’re into June, and with the Emmy window closed, we’re seeing a steady but smaller group of new series. It’s a bit of a June swoon, which might coincide with you having a little extra time to watch shows. So, what of these new shows is worth your time to check out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new series. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Thursdays: Surviving Earth, Thursdays at 8 p.m. on NBC (Premiered June 11) About: Do you like documentaries? If you do, this new summer series might be for you. It takes the action back to the age of the dinosaurs and looks at life on Earth before things were wiped out. The series is eight episodes, each an hour, airing weekly this summer on NBC Thursdays. It takes the bent that it was an environmental crisis and the Earth learned to survive once, the lesson being that they could survive again. The recreations looked solid, and it was entertaining enough for summer, especi...

This year Star Trek turns 60. For decades, it has enthralled and entertained audiences. Part of that legacy is 13 feature films. Over the next few weeks, I'll be looking back on each of the feature films in the franchise, including where I place them in my personal rankings! Kirk : [to Harriman] Risk is part of the game if you want to sit in that chair. Star Trek: Generations (1994) Franchise Ranking : 8 Starring : Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Brent Spiner, Michael Dorn, Gates McFadden, LeVar Burton, Marina Sirtis, Walter Koenig, James Doohan, Malcolm McDowell, and Alan Ruck Director : David Carson About : And here begins the run of films from the Next Generation cast. Sort of, anyway. As part of a somewhat clumsy handoff, we get a few of the original cast members--Kirk, Scotty, and Checkov--in an opening sequence that leads into the rest of the film. It's a means of getting Captain Kirk and Captain Picard on the screen together. And while that's an i...

It's hard to believe, but 2001 was 25 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 2001 that are turning 25 in 2026. Today, it's a unique independent drama. Donnie : I hope that when the world comes to an end, I can breathe a sigh of relief, because there will be so much to look forward to. Donnie Darko Starring : Jake Gyllenhaal, Jena Malone, Holmes Osborne, Mary Malone, and Maggie Gyllenhaal Director : Richard Kelly About : This is a strange and unique cinematic journey. Gyllenhaal--both of them--is great here. I enjoy this wild and creatively dark science fiction tale from Kelly. I remember seeing this during my time in college and being taken with the use of music and the storytelling. Now 25 years later, that's still the case. This is an off-beat choice that isn't the most popular film on the list, but it's one of the most memorable from that year to me. If you like strange tales and haven't seen it, this is wo...

Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films. Chris Taylor : [voiceover] I think now, looking back, we did not fight the enemy; we fought ourselves. And the enemy was in us. The war is over for me now, but it will always be there, the rest of my days as I'm sure Elias will be, fighting with Barnes for what Rhah called possession of my soul. There are times since, I've felt like the child born of those two fathers. But, be that as it may, those of us who did make it have an obligation to build again, to teach to others what we know, and to try with what's left of our lives to find a goodness and a meaning to this life. Platoon (1986) Original List Position : 83 Starring : Charlie Sheen, Willem Dafo...

Back in 1998, the American Film Institute unveiled its list of the 100 greatest films as voted on by members of the cinematic community. The year, I'm looking at the films on that list, re-ranked according to my preference. Check back Fridays and Saturdays throughout the year as we walk through this list of classic films. Kilgore: Napalm, son. Nothing else in the world smells like that. I love the smell of napalm in the morning. You know, one time we had a hill bombed, for 12 hours. When it was all over, I walked up. We didn't find one of 'em, not one stinkin' dink body. The smell, you know that gasoline smell? The whole hill. Smelled like... victory. Someday this war's gonna end. Apocalypse Now (1979) Original List Position : 28 Starring : Martin Sheen, Marlon Brando, and Robert Duvall Director : Francis Ford Coppola About : When we think of War films, there are a couple types. The World War II films, for the most part, were uplifting, patriotic affairs. But Vietn...