Matthew Simpson
@smatthew.bsky.social
1.2K followers 1.4K following 1.6K posts
I write and talk about movies and TV. Rotten Tomatoes Approved. Rather tall. He/Him/His. Check my work here: https://stretched.ca
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smatthew.bsky.social
Amadeus is a perfect film already and I'm 100% into the casting for this mini series they've made. (It's also a great play if you ever get the chance).

Also, lol at "believe in original stories" being Sky's tagline on a trailer for a new adaptation of a classic.

youtu.be/tCooUh3plsI?si=1_N9B...
Amadeus | Official Teaser | Sky
When twenty-five-year-old Amadeus arrives in bustling 18th Century Vienna, no longer a child prodigy and craving creative freedom, his world collides with two pivotal figures: his fiercely loyal future wife, Constanze Weber, and devoutly religious court composer, Antonio Salieri. Based on Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play, this spectacular five-part reimagination explores the meteoric rise and mythic downfall of one of history’s most iconic composers — and rockstar virtuoso of the 18th century, Wolfgang ‘Amadeus’ Mozart. Starring Will Sharpe (Giri/Haji, The White Lotus) as musical prodigy Wolfgang ‘Amadeus’ Mozart, Paul Bettany (WandaVision, A Very British Scandal) as envious court composer Antonio Salieri, and Gabrielle Creevy (In My Skin, Black Doves) as Constanze Weber, Mozart’s fiercely loyal wife. Amadeus, coming to Sky in December. Subscribe for more: https://www.youtube.com/skytv?sub_confirmation=1 Find #skytv on: 👉TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@hellosky 👉Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/skytv 👉Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/skytv 👉X: https://x.com/skytv
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smatthew.bsky.social
I saw these comments on a post about the Peacemaler finale and I am once again begging people to watch the things they're watching.

(Light spoilers that I can't mark from the app I'm posting from.)
smatthew.bsky.social
I just don’t know that that is true because most people don’t care. His last few movies have all done poorly but they’re also mostly bad movies whether he’s in them or not (and a couple he’s barely in at all).
smatthew.bsky.social
Look I haven't seen Tron Ares yet but I've seen a lot of people blaming it's underperforming on Leto specifically and while I'm sure thathe's a factor I have a hard time believing that he's the only factor.
smatthew.bsky.social
There's a new trailer for #StarTrek Starfleet Academy, and I am into it.

youtu.be/PAGzRczDYpc?si=_Vqgj...
Official Trailer | Star Trek: Starfleet Academy | NYCC 2025
Star Trek: Starfleet Academy premieres January 15, exclusively on Paramount+. This thrilling new chapter follows a fresh class of cadets as they train under the watchful, demanding eyes of Starfleet’s finest. Together, they’ll face the highs and lows of academy life: forging unbreakable friendships, clashing in explosive rivalries, experiencing first loves, and stepping into their destiny as the next generation of Starfleet officers. When a mysterious new enemy threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself, these cadets must rise to the challenge or risk losing everything they’ve just begun to fight for. Starring Sandro Rosta, Karim Diané, Kerrice Brooks, George Hawkins, Bella Shepard, and Zoë Steiner, as well as Holly Hunter, who plays the captain and chancellor of Starfleet Academy. Additional cast members include Tig Notaro and Robert Picardo, reprising their roles as Jett Reno and The Doctor, and guest stars Oded Fehr and Mary Wiseman, reprising their roles as Admiral Vance and Sylvia Tilly, as well as recurring guest stars Gina Yashere and Paul Giamatti. Explore the Star Trek universe on StarTrek.com and relive all of your favorite moments at StarTrek.com/Where-to-Watch! And be sure to follow @StarTrek on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube. Like Star Trek on Facebook: https://bit.ly/StarTrekOfficialFB Follow Star Trek on Instagram: https://bit.ly/StarTrekOfficialIG Follow Star Trek on TikTok: https://bit.ly/StarTrekTikTok Start your Paramount+ free trial now and start streaming! https://bit.ly/SubscribeToPPlus #StarTrek #StarfleetAcademy #NYCC2025
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smatthew.bsky.social
What are your top three films in The Conjuring universe?

The Conjuring films
smatthew.bsky.social
You know, I think John Carpenter is one of my all time favourite directors.
smatthew.bsky.social
I have listened to the new Taylor Swift and my only real opinion about it is that she should leave the innuendo game to Sabrina Carpenter.
smatthew.bsky.social
So that's the IFSCA Best 100 of the 2st Century So far. What did you all think of the list? Where'd we get it right? Where'd we get it wrong? Let me know!
The IFSCA 100 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far)
smatthew.bsky.social
Greta Gerwig and Julia Ducournau share one cool distinction in that all of their eligible, solo-directed films (Lady Bird, Little Women, and Barbie for Gerwig, and both Raw and Titane for Ducournau) appear on the list. #IFSCA100
Julia Ducournau Greta Gerwig
smatthew.bsky.social
Maybe the least surprising aspect of the list is that Christopher Nolan is the most represented filmmaker with five films, and they're all in the top half of the list. Damien Chazelle, Denis Villeneuve, Steven Spielberg, and Greta Gerwig appear three times each. #IFSCA100
Steven Spielberg Damien Chazelle Denis Villeneuve Christopher Nolan
smatthew.bsky.social
Also, turns out 2016 was a great year for movies. There are more appearances from that year (seven!) than any other single year on the list. #IFSCA100
smatthew.bsky.social
#IFSCA100 Number 8, Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road George Miller is a madman.  With Mad Max he envisioned a world falling into ruin, and with his 1981 and 1985 follow-ups, The Road Warrior and Beyond Thunderdome, he envisioned a post-apocalyptic future of oppressive sun, lack of resources, and leather biker gear that has become a default version of the future in popular culture. In 2015, he visited this world for the fourth time with Mad Max: Fury Road, once again making almost an entire movie out of an ongoing car chase across a desert wasteland in massive machines of war cobbled together from various classic cars, 18-wheelers, and construction equipment.  The plot is simple: A warrior (Charlize Theron) escapes from a warlord (Hugh Keays-Byrne) with several of his young, exploited wives, and Max Rockatansky (Tom Hardy) gets caught up in the ensuing chase.  The film is 120 minutes of perfectly controlled chaos.  It is a masterclass of special effects, and not only of pulse-pounding action, but also of the balance between that and quiet moments of dread that come in between, all set to a pitch-perfect score by JunkieXL.  The kind of movie that even now, a full decade and countless re-watches later, keeps you on the edge of your seat. – Matthew Simpson
smatthew.bsky.social
#IFSCA100 Number 73, Brokeback Mountain
Brokeback Mountain Groundbreaking in its time, and heartbreakingly timeless, Brokeback Mountain‘s tragic love story of two Wyoming ranch hands remains one of the most important movies in recent memory.  Jake Gyllenhaal and Heath Ledger are stunning as Ennis and Jack, two men bound by love and loneliness who find a profound connection in each other.  Trapped by the time and place they live in, and Ennis’s fear of what the world might do to them, they, along with the film, catapulted queer cinema into the mainstream, but also reminded us that love is universal and pure. – Matthew Simpson
smatthew.bsky.social
#IFSCA100 Number 96, Columbus
Columbus Kogonada’s debut film is a thing of beauty.  It tells the story of two souls who are trapped waiting in Columbus, Indiana, and after a chance meeting, bond over architecture, which the city is famous for.  Jin (John Cho) is waiting for his estranged and comatose father to pass away.  Casey (Haley Lu Richardson) is waiting for the moment she’ll feel ready to stop watching over her drug-addicted mother.  This is a story of close platonic friendship, the kind that can only happen by chance and only through the shared nothing and everything that comes with being in the same place at the same time and in the same mood.  It is beautifully shot, wonderfully acted, and perfectly encapsulates a feeling we’ve all had and shared.  –Matthew Simpson
smatthew.bsky.social
#IFSCA100 Number 99, Another Round
Another Round It’s the simplest of premises: a group of four men wracked with middle-aged ennui wonder out loud what it would be like if they were just a little bit drunk all the time. Thomas Vinterberg’s Another Round takes this and expands it into a story of lives not lived, and the extent to which we might go to effect change in our lives. As the saying online goes, men will do anything to avoid therapy, and in this case, it’s only a matter of time before the alcohol in their system leads each of them to an inflection point in their lives.  A film that will hit hard for anyone who has made tough choices about their approach to life and relationships and to alcohol, Another Round is all at once melancholy and celebratory, existential and essential. – Matthew Simpson
smatthew.bsky.social
In case you're interested, too, I also wrote four of the blurbs for the list. Here are those:
smatthew.bsky.social
I administered the balloting for the #IFSCA100 list and it was very cool to watch everyone's picks roll in. We had over 300 unique films to sort out after the initial round of voting, and let me tell you that all of them are great; narrowing down to just 100 was a fun problem to solve.
smatthew.bsky.social
On point of interest, the number one pick on this list was so far and away number as to be mildly absurd. It appeared on nearly half of the first round ballots. To put that in perspective, the number two film appeared on approximately a quarter of them.
#IFSCA100