Andrew Keck

Variables: 9 Red Wings Rookies Who Could Help in 2025-26 Young players are variables who can make or break a hockey team’s playoff hopes, which wild cards for the Red Wings could push them over the top this year?

My good friend (and former Central Michigan University broadcast booth partner) @twizzity.bsky.social has started a Substack where he writes excellent analyses of the Detroit Red Wings. If you like hockey and great writing, please check it out if you can. open.substack.com/pub/chadtwar...

He's done Star Wars, Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Jurassic World, Mission: Impossible. He did Lost, which is an all-time great TV show. Just a hell of a discography, and those are just some of the highlights. Beyond excited to hear/see what he does in the future.

It's beyond impressive what Giacchino has done for animated films, sci-fi films, & comic book films. 6 films(!) he's scored won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. He wrote the Marvel Studios fanfare + themes for Doctor Strange, Spider-Man, F4, & Batman.

Ever since seeing The Fantastic Four: First Steps and becoming enamored with @mgiacchino.bsky.social's score, I've been jiving to the This is Michael Giacchino playlist on Spotify. I cannot count the number of times a smile has spread across my face listening to the various arrangements.

Tell me it's not so @drewmagary.bsky.social!

Don't mind me. Just sitting here at work listening to the soundtrack from THE FANTASTIC FOUR: FIRST STEPS. Michael Giacchino (who's right up there with John Williams and Hans Zimmer for my fav film composer) absolutely crushed it with this one. The F4 theme alone gives me chills every time I listen.

I'm officially obsessed with Muse's new song, "Unravelling." Been playing it on repeat from it's debut on BBC Radio 1 this afternoon. It's a much heavier rock than I think they've ever done before, but the song rips and the chorus soars. Excited to see if they continue this sound on the next album.

So, per the DHS Secretary, the Trump Regime has deployed troops to Los Angeles to overthrow the duly elected government of Los Angeles and of the State of California. bsky.app/profile/just...

Cowards. You only do shit like this when you know you’re wrong and are too chickenshit to defend yourself. Noem is a weakling.

What if, just as an experiment, every journalist and every elected Democrat worked to make this statement from Trump into the explosive scandal it deserves to be instead of just shrugging?

I do understand that Biden’s inner circle covered up his decline. Got it. What I don’t understand is the same journalists and pundits pounding that story are ignoring this psychopath like it’s normal. I accepted Biden was old all along. I can’t accept this lunatic leading us.

MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE THE FINAL RECKONING is a blast to see on the big screen. Takes a bit to get up to speed due to exposition, but once it gets going it REALLY gets going. Has 2 of the best action sequences in the series. If this is in fact the final M:I movie, it goes out with its ❤️ on its sleeve.

1.) M:I GHOST PROTOCOL
The perfect distillation of the M:I films. The best blend of action and and spy-craft. It's my fav take on Ethan Hunt, & for my money the opening jailbreak sequence, the Kremlin sequence, and the famous Burj Khalifa sequence are the best 1-2-3 combo in the series.

2.) M:I ROGUE NATION
All hail Ilsa Faust. One of Cruise's best Ethan Hunt performances. The opera sequence is potentially my fav in the series, the Morocco sequence is a fun twist on the CIA sequence from the 1st film, and I love the spy-shenanigans-oriented 3rd. Give me all the mask play you can.

3.) M:I FALLOUT
Henry Cavill is one of the best antagonists in the series (& more fun to watch on subsequent watches). A number of the action sequences are up there for best in the series but I wouldn't put any of them at the top. And not unlike DEAD RECKONING I think there's some bloat to this one.

4.) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
Very different than all the others that come after it. The famous CIA heist for instance, while a standout, is obviously much quieter/barebones than other moments in the series. But man does that sequence rock. As does the opening sequence, and the climactic train sequence.

5.) M:I DEAD RECKONING
Plenty of highlights (love the airport sequence, the climatic train sequence was still breathtaking even on the small screen, love the addition of Hayley Atwell) but the film is bloated. As I was writing this, I decided to flip it's spot with the next film on this list.

6.) M:I 3
I never don't enjoy watching M:I 3. It's one of Cruise's best turns as Ethan Hunt, Phillip Seymour Hoffman is the best villain in the series, Benji is introduced, & the film's standout sections (the Vatican heist, the attack on the bridge) are series highlights.

7.) M:I 2
It's funny to watch the M:I films in order & see how much of an outlier M:I 2 is. It is VERY much a John Woo film. Tom Cruise's Ethan Hunt isn't the Ethan Hunt fans of the series have come to love over the past two decade. The Chimera/Bellerophon stuff though is a classic, silly MacGuffin.

Before I see the new #MissionImpossible film tonight, here's my personal rankings of the first 7 films:

7.) M:I 2
6.) M:I 3
5.) DEAD RECKONING
4.) MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE
3.) FALLOUT
2.) ROGUE NATION
1.) GHOST PROTOCOL

Expanded reasonings below:

@sheaserrano.bsky.social I've been putting this off and putting this off because it feels like a dumb question, but I have to know: Mark Wahlberg's ROCK STAR.....yay or nay? By no means do I think it's a good movie, but w/ the cast and songs, it's a guilty pleasure watch for me.

Thank you for sharing! Little surprised to see FD3 in last place, tbh.

Curious what your personal ranking of the Final Destination films would be?

Is Adam Scott on that trajectory with Parks & Rec/Severance?

@sheaserrano.bsky.social Same as Matt here. Checked spam and promotions folders, nada. Guessing just a Substack issue. I was able to read the post on the Substack site though. All good.

Hi Shea,
Not sure if I'm an outlier, but I did not receive an email for this week's Good Movie "Interstellar" post. Not sure if other subscribers have reached out to say the same, but just wanted to give a heads up just in case.

1.) FINAL DESTINATION 3
FD3 takes lessons from the 1st 2 films & improves on them. The strongest lead character. Roller coaster opening is great, investigation into the order of deaths is fun, & it's the 1st in the series to introduce a 2nd mass casualty event to end the film. Great stuff.

2.) FINAL DESTINATION
The OG still holds up after 25 years. I admire the opening sequence & how it ratchets up the tension the entire time, changing the game of the horror genre. But honestly? The lack of a big finish like our #1 film here has is one reason I have this film #2.

3.) FINAL DESTINATION 5
Great opening sequence, one of the stronger casts for a Final Destination film (I mean, c'mon, David Koechner!), some mean kills, and that ending still hits. (No spoiler talk for anyone who hasn't seen FD5)

4.) FINAL DESTINATION 2
The log truck sequence is an all-timer, & I respect the pane of glass kill, but the rest of the film doesn't have the gas the top 3 do. Honestly this film & the 3 ranked above it are all incredibly rewatchable. We're talking degrees of separation here.