Matt's Musings

It's hard to believe, but 2006 was 20 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 2006 that are turning 20 in 2026. Today, it's a Christopher Nolan film. Cutter : Every great magic trick consists of three parts or acts. The first part is called "The Pledge". The magician shows you something ordinary: a deck of cards, a bird or a man. He shows you this object. Perhaps he asks you to inspect it to see if it is indeed real, unaltered, normal. But of course... it probably isn't. The second act is called "The Turn". The magician takes the ordinary something and makes it do something extraordinary. Now you're looking for the secret... but you won't find it, because of course you're not really looking. You don't really want to know. You want to be fooled. But you wouldn't clap yet. Because making something disappear isn't enough; you have to bring it back. That's why every magic trick h...

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. Peter Warne : I want to see what love looks like when it's triumphant. I haven't had a good laugh in a week. It Happened One Night (1934) Original List Position : 35 Starring : Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert Director : Frank Capra About : Are you a fan of movie history? I am, which you could probably tell from this exercise alone. Well, this film is a piece of movie history. Only three films in history have won Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Screenplay. This is one of those films. It comes from Capra, a legendary storyteller, and features a fun back-and-forth between Gable and Colbert. It's a bit of a screwball comed...

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. Gen. Yevgraf Zhivago : I told myself it was beneath my dignity to arrest a man for pilfering firewood. But nothing ordered by the party is beneath the dignity of any man, and the party was right: One man desperate for a bit of fuel is pathetic. Five million people desperate for fuel will destroy a city. That was the first time I ever saw my brother. But I knew him. And I knew that I would disobey the party. Perhaps it was the tie of blood between us, but I doubt it. We were only half tied anyway, and brothers will betray a brother. Indeed, as a policeman, I would say, get hold of a man's brother and you're halfway home. Nor was it admiration for a better ...

 The NFL Draft kicks off today. Over the next three days, hundreds of prospects will land in their NFL home. This will be closely followed by rookie drafts in Dynasty. The landing spot will shift the final rankings, but below is my Top 25 in Superflex ahead of the draft. Prospects appear in order, along with their positional ranking. We’ll see how it adjusts post-draft. No. 1: Jeremiah Love, RB1 No. 2: Fernando Mendoza, QB1 No. 3: Carnell Tate, WR1 No. 4: Makai Lemon, WR2 No. 5: Jordan Tyson, WR3 No. 6: Kenyon Sadiq, TE1 No. 7: Jadarian Price, RB2 No. 8: Denzel Boston, WR4 No. 9: Omar Cooper, Jr., WR5 No. 10: K.C. Conception, WR6 No. 11: Eli Stowers, TE2 No. 12: Mike Washington, Jr., RB3 No. 13: Emmett Johnson, RB4 No. 14: Chris Brazzell, WR7 No. 15: Germie Bernard, WR8 No. 16: Zachariah Branch, WR9 No. 17: Jonah Coleman, RB5 No. 18: Nicholas Singleton, RB6 No. 19: Ty Simpson, QB2 No. 20: Elijah Sarratt, WR10 No. 21: Max Klare, TE3 No. 22: Chris Bell, WR11 No. 23: Ted Hurst, WR12 N...

This weekend brought a couple interesting new releases, as well as a fascinating documentary feature. Below is my take on all the new movies I saw this week. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734. Everyone is Lying to You for Money (Limited) Synopsis: I remember when I first saw Ben McKenzie. I watched the pilot for The O.C., and subsequently followed the run of the series. Turns out I’m not the only one who remembers McKenzie fondly from that series. In fact, it’s one of the charming jokes that kicks off his new documentary, Everyone is Lying to You for Money, which opens in limited release Friday. Before starring as Ryan Atwood, McKenzie earned a college degree in economics. So, when a friend suggested crypto currency, he decided to give it a look. What he found alarmed him, so McKenzie decided to dig deeper and raise the alarm. That led to hiring a crew and filming this documentary. That documentary dives deep into the world of c...

 We’re making our way through April and closing in on the Emmy consideration window. That means some high-profile new series are dropping just in time, but which of them are worth checking out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new series this Spring. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Wednesdays: Margot’s Got Money Troubles, Wednesdays on Apple TV (Premiered April 15) About: This new series comes from David E. Kelley based on the novel of the same name from Rufi Thorpe. It features Elle Fanning as Margot Millet. At the outset, she’s a talented writer at a small college in Fullerton. She receives special guidance from her professor, Mark (Michael Angarano). Soon, an affair blooms despite the fact Mark is married and has a family. When Margot ends up pregnant, it throws her life into turmoil. Mark cuts her off, so she leans on her mother (Michelle Pfeiffer) and her father (Nick Offerman), a former wrestler and recov...