Matt's Musings

It's hard to believe, but 2011 was 15 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 2011 that are turning 15 in 2026. Today, it's J.J. Abrams tribute to Spielberg. Joe Lamb : I know bad things happen. Bad things happen. But you can still live. You can still live. Super 8 Starring : Joel Courtney, Elle Fanning, Kyle Chandler, and Ron Eldard Director : J.J. Abrams About : Abrams has become something of a complicated figure as a director. He's worked on countless major franchises, from Mission Impossible to Star Trek to Star Wars . And he's delivered some memorable films and some memorable series, like LOST . And yet, some people don't appreciate his style. This 2011 film probably isn't thought about by many. And yet, it's one of my favorites of his work. It's a 1970s tale of kids, aliens, and recovering from loss. It's a love letter to films from Steven Spielberg and from a bygone era. As a piece of cinem...

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. No. 88: Easy Rider (1969) Original List Ranking : 88 Starring : Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda, and Jack Nicholson Director : Dennis Hopper About : Here is a case of a film having symmetry with my list and the original list. On both this road film from 1969 stands at No. 88. A decade later, it remained on the list and bumped up a couple spots. You can easily understand why. The film features some iconic characters and sequences. It's also of a piece with its time, capturing life at the end of the 1960s and seeing it through a certain lens. It's got an excellent cast and it's a solid directorial effort from Hopper. There is a reason it has endured as a clas...

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. No. 89: Wuthering Heights (1939) Original List Ranking : 73 Starring : Laurence Olivier, David Niven, and Merle Oberon Director: William Wyler About : On paper, this film checks a lot of boxes. It's based on a classic piece of literature. It's a very difficult but iconic and endearing story. It features a star in Olivier, and it's directed by a decorated filmmaker in Wyler. We've seen this story told many times on screen, including a new version released this Valentine's Day. And yet, this version endures. It won Olivier an Oscar and was a Best Picture nominee. I think it has some merits in the way it lays out the story. It's also fairly c...

The collision of Valentine’s Day and President’s Day Weekend yielded some big releases at the movies this week. Below is my take on the new movies I saw. You can keep up with everything I’m watching by following me on Letterboxd @knighthawk7734. Crime 101 (Theaters) Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Barry Keoghan, Mark Ruffalo, and Halle Berry Synopsis: I remember when I was in high school and I saw Michael Mann’s Heat. It was gripping, engaging, and unlike anything I’d ever seen. I tend to measure stories of this ilk against that one, and many audiences do, too. It also inspired a love of Los Angeles crime stories. That’s why it makes sense that we’re getting Crime 101, a slick heist drama set in Los Angeles and featuring a great cast. The film is based on the novel from Don Winslow and is adapted by writer/director Bart Layton. It also features a great trio of characters—a buttoned up master thief who’s lonely, a broken-down detective who is great at putting together the pieces, and a wom...

We’ve made it through President’s Day Weekend, but with the Winter Olympics still going full steam ahead, the flow of new shows has slowed. But if you have some extra time off, or you’re stuck inside because of the winter weather, you might be wondering which 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 shows this winter. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Thursdays: Field Generals: History of the Black Quarterback, Streaming Thursdays on Peacock (Premiered February 5) About : This new documentary looks at the history of the NFL, specifically focusing on the role of black quarterbacks. The episodes run about an hour and drop on Thursdays. It’s ideally timed for Black History month, though it’s not always an easy story to watch. The first episode went back to the earliest roots at the position, while the second focused on Warren Moon, the lone Black quarterback in the Pro Foot...

The Academy Awards are coming on March 15. We got the final list of nominees on January 22, and between now and the awards I'll be looking at the 10 Best Picture nominees and their chances of winning an award. Frankenstein Starring: Jacob Elordi, Oscar Isaac, and Mia Goth Director: Guillermo del Toro Total Nominations : 9 Nominated For : Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Elordi), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Makeup and Hairstyling, Best Original Score, and Best Sound About : This is the second Best Picture nominee from Netflix. It did very well, earning nine total nominations. But it didn't earn a director nod for del Toro, which was a mild surprise. That puts it more in the long-shot category for Best Picture and a number of other categories, like Best Adapted Screenplay. Elordi gives a strong performance and is in the mix in the Supporting Actor race, though he's not a clearcut favorite. That could be...