Matt's Musings

Here's a look at all the new movies coming to theaters in February. There's some gems headed our way, beginning with this weekend. Friday, February 5: Pride & Prejudice & Zombies — On the surface, you're asking yourself, "what is this?" But the trailers look awesome, and the concept is also awesome. It re-imagines the classic "Pride & Prejudice" in a world with zombies. What's not to love? The Choice — The annual Nicholas Sparks cry fest. This is out a week ahead of Valentine's Day, but just know that this will be a hot one for the ladies. And someone will dies. And this will be sad. It's Nicholas Sparks. Hail Cesar! — The latest from the Coen Brothers is a comedy set in the world of studio films in the 1950s. It stars George Clooney and Josh Brolin, among others. If you love the Coen Brothers, this is a must see. Friday, February 12: Deadpool — This isn't your mother's superhero movie. Ryan Reynolds is in the starring rol...

Today I continue my Academy Award previews with the first category -- the Directors. This is a loaded category, as it is every year, and it will be interesting to see who comes out on top. Best Director Nominees: The Revenant: Alejandro González Iñárritu Spotlight: Tom McCarthy Mad Max: Fury Road: George Miller Room: Lenny Abrahamson The Big Short: Adam McKay Thoughts : This is a tough field, with directors who offered five very different but very intriguing films. The only previous winner is Iñárritu, who won last year for "Birdman." On the flip side, the other four are all enjoying their first nomination as Best Director. So will it be back-to-back for Iñárritu, or will a first timer take it home? I think I would rule out Abrahamson as a long shot. In fact, his inclusion among the nominees was somewhat of a surprise. Ditto for McKay, who is best known for directing broad Will Ferrell comedies. He did a great job with "The Big Short," but I don't see him going ...

Today I continue my Academy Award previews with another Best Picture nominee, "Bridge of Spies." Bridge of Spies Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, and Amy Ryan Total Nominations: 6 Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Rylance), Best Original Screenplay (Matt Charman, Joel Coen, Ethan Coen), Best Original Score, Best Production Design, and Best Sound Mixing About: "Bridge of Spies" was somewhat of a surprise entry into the Best Picture race. It's a great movie with a great pedigree -- which includes Hanks in a lead role and Steven Spielberg as the director. But Spielberg didn't get a nomination, and neither did Hanks. And the movie had seemed largely over looked in the awards running up to the Academy Awards. Yet, it secured one of the eight slots and a total of six nominations. Best Picture and Best Supporting Actor seem a bit like long shots, though I loved Rylance's work. It might pick up one of the technical awards, or it...

We are a month away from the biggest day in entertainment, The Academy Awards. As such, I'll be previewing the awards, including recaps of all the Best Picture nominees, all leading up to final award picks and predictions from me on February 28. Brooklyn Starring: Saiorise Ronan, Jim Broadbent, Julie Walters, Domnhall Gleeson, and Emory Cohen Total Nominations: 3 Nominated For : Best Picture, Best Actress (Ronan), and Best Adapted Screenplay (Nick Hornby) About: "Brooklyn" might have been a bit of a surprise as a Best Picture nominee. It has flown a bit under the radar, save for nominations for Ronan. But in the end, it made the final list of eight nominees for the Academy Awards. But that's not sure bet that it wins anything. It's only nominated for three awards, and I wouldn't consider it a favorite in any category. For "Brooklyn," simply being nominated for Best Picture — and the bump it gives films at the Box Office — will likely be the victor...

Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week. The 5th Wave Starring: Chloe Grace Moretz, Ron Livingston, and Liev Schreiber Synopsis: By now there are a few staples every year at the Box Office. We’re going to get a half dozen superhero movies. We’re going to get at least a half dozen low budget horror films. And at some point during the year a new “franchise” based on a popular young adult novel is going to be released. With “The Hunger Games” done and the “Divergent” series near its end, it makes sense that studios are looking for the next big thing. Into that fray comes “The 5th Wave,” based on the novel from Rick Yancey. It has all the hallmarks of these types of films — end of the world stakes, a female protagonist in her teens and a love triangle. But it’s hard to know how the studio feels about “The 5th Wave” and its chance of success. It was unceremoniously dumped in January — not a typical time for building a film franchise — and opened in sixth place. The film ends in...

Today I continue my countdown of my top 25 films of all time. Again, to make the list a film has to have been released at least five years ago. Starting this week, I'll have the list of previous selections at the bottom. No. 15 — The Paper (1994) Starring: Michael Keaton, Marissa Tomei, Glenn Close, Robert Duvall, and Randy Quaid Director: Ron Howard Quote: "We run stupid headlines because we think they're funny. We run maimings on the front page because we got good art. And I spend three weeks bitching about my car because it sells papers. But at least it's the truth. As far as I can remeber we never ever, ever knowingly got a story wrong, until tonight." — Michael McDougal About: When I was younger, all I wanted to do was work for a newspaper. That was, in fact, what I studied in college and what I did for the first seven years of my post-college work life. One of the big inspirations for that was "The Paper." Many people of a certain age would point...

In these weekly posts I take a look at the new shows of winter, reviewing the pilot and second episodes. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Monday Nights: The X-Files, Mondays at 8 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 24) About: "The X-Files" was a successful series on FOX that wrapped up after nine seasons in 2002. But now, 14 years later, it's back for a six-episode limited series. But believe me, if these six episodes go well, the series will be back in some fashion again. What helps is that the stars — Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny — are back. So, too, are many of the writers and producers. And the first two episodes — one aired after the NFC Title game on Sunday and the second in its regular time slot on Monday — were a breezy return to the world. Anderson and Duchovny are great in these roles, and even after more than a decade away they have no trouble sliding into the flow of this new series. The first episode on Sunday was a return to th...