Matty Long
Bio
”I have opinions of my own - strong opinions - but I don’t always agree with them.” - George H.W. Bush
Twitter: @eardstapa_
Stories (56/0)
‘The Fabelmans’ and the timelessness of cinema
I really enjoyed ‘The Fabelmans,’ a beautiful, incredibly acted coming-of-age story inspired by the early life of its acclaimed director, Steven Spielberg. It’s a film, not the first of its kind, about a director trying to capture his love of the craft using the medium itself, which I imagine is harder than it sounds. But as a huge film fan, and someone who used to make home movies a lot with my camera as a kid, I really related to it and thought it captured everything about movies that is important to human culture. But, interestingly, it has been released at a time when many people are cynical about the direction of the film industry. Perhaps fuelled by revelations about how sordid an industry it really is, and further plagued by the troubles of the pandemic, people see Hollywood as a machine that churns out rubbish to make money. But I’m just not quite sure that’s true, or ever could be true, and a film like this explains why.
By Matty Long2 months ago in Geeks
The Best Laid Plans
I might be on the telly soon. The reason being I finished work a few months ago and a friend asked if I wanted to go to a pub nearby to see a comedian. It was a weekday and I usually plan my weeks out quite carefully, having reserved that particular day to work on my writing, so I declined. But it was a free ticket to see a comedian I really like, and he managed to twist my arm.
By Matty Long2 months ago in Longevity
Bittersweet Sympathy
I personally don’t much care for the current media obsession with Harry and Meghan, especially when newspapers will side-line incredibly important coverage of the ongoing NHS crisis in favour of extracts from the former’s recently published autobiography. I don’t hate them. I don’t love them. I just don’t care. But whatever you think of this couple, one thing you cannot deny is that Prince Harry is a man who lost his mother at a very young age and had to grieve for a woman he loved dearly while the whole population and tabloid media, many of whom had probably never even met her, broadcasted the same level of grief all over the world. If anyone hasn’t seen Stewart Lee’s routine about the lunacy of the reaction to Diana’s death, it sums it up very nicely (link below).
By Matty Long3 months ago in Families
My Top Ten Movies of 2022
Happy new year. To start the year off, I thought it would make sense to count down my favourite movies of 2022, which was a great year for film. Many of my favourites were streamed on Netflix, which was convenient but does make me sad about the future of cinema. Thankfully, however, at least one of these was a classic big screen masterpiece.
By Matty Long3 months ago in Geeks
The Best Bob Dylan Covers
I recently went to see the brilliant musical ‘Girl from the North Country.’ I love Bob Dylan’s music but the story itself is also excellent and I can’t recommend it enough. Another great aspect of the show is the way his songs are interpreted. And this is a common occurrence with Dylan’s work. There are so many songs you may not realise he wrote, because others made them their own. He is probably the greatest songwriter (and one of the greatest writers in general) of all time. But it’s fascinating to see how others interpret this genius. And with such a prolific writer, there are so many instances of this in music history. I would be here all day if I was counting down my favourite Dylan songs (I’m always discovering more), but when it comes to covers, I’ve cut it down to my top 5. There aren’t any versions from ‘Girl from the North Country’ mentioned, because if you’ve got this far, go see it!
By Matty Long6 months ago in Beat
They don’t make them like that any more
Unless you've been living under a rock for the past week, you will know that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has recently passed away. Outpourings of grief have followed all over the world and indeed the internet, for a woman who served her country dutifully for 70 years. There have also been many voices saying that now is the time to end the monarchy, and make Elizabeth the last. I don't think, unlike some, that it is an inappropriate time to make that argument. In fact I have a lot of sympathy for it (if you want to know my overall feelings on the royal family, read the article I wrote when Prince Philip died last year), but there has also been a lot of strong criticism of the Queen herself. Much of which is just disrespectful, and indeed based on lazy thinking, in my eyes. Not that I would deny that anyone has the right to those thoughts. But it's given me some thoughts of my own, which I intend to attempt to articulate here.
By Matty Long7 months ago in The Swamp
Scotland in the Summer
Last week I tried to suggest some travel advice for London on a budget give the cost of living crisis. This week I'm going to send a short message to all readers living in the UK that, during this unusually hot summer, there is a paradise right on our doorstep. Scotland! The country of rain and rain and rain is suddenly full of sun. Loads of Scottish fellas are running around looking confused and seeking shade, whilst their country turns into an absolute paradise.
By Matty Long8 months ago in Wander
London on a Budget
The cost of living crisis has hit everyone hard (what kind of world are we living in when McDonald's has put the price of cheeseburgers up by 20p?!), and many people now need to factor that into their travel plans. For me, that means I'm trying to go to all the places I want to visit in my own country of Britain. The most recent city break I had was to the capital London. And although travel costs were reduced for me, it is of course still a very expensive city. However, if you're careful, you can have a great time on a budget. I've tried to break some of this down. And even folks from abroad who have made it to the capital but are still concerned about costs may find some of this advice useful.
By Matty Long8 months ago in Wander
Hamilton: an all-round crowd pleaser and nothing more
I went to see Hamilton on the west end in London recently and thoroughly enjoyed it. I'd seen the recording on Disney plus which got me into it, and I was very familiar with the brilliant and musically-diverse soundtrack. But it's something you have to see live to truly appreciate how amazing and groundbreaking it is, not to mention that the performance of Hamilton himself (Scottish newcomer Reuben Joseph) was brilliant, far better than the not-so-brilliant-but-we'll-allow-it-cos-he-wrote it performance of Lin-Manuel Miranda.
By Matty Long8 months ago in Geeks
