Matt Pusateri
@mattpusateri.bsky.social
Develops digital strategy & communications. Film & poker geek. Outmatched dad of two girls. https://mattpusateri.substack.com/
A wrong turn in 1914 started WWI. A boat capsizing in 1999 may have swung the 2000 election by 537 votes. And on one miserable Tuesday, I started wondering how much of my own life comes down to plain chance. #SubstackSky #BlueskyWriting New post:
Left turns, coin flips, and butterfly effects
The unsettling randomness of how we got here
mattpusateri.substack.com
The woman in seat 8E caught me crying over this dumb Netflix comedy. WTF? #FilmSky #MovieSky #Letterboxd Latest post:
Why did this so-so movie make me cry (twice) on a plane?
Why do comedies and dramas hit differently in the air?
open.substack.com
Our books and movies had it wrong — there’s no chosen one coming to save the world. It’s on us. Andor got that, which is why it's more than ever the most relevant show of 2026. #WritingCommunity #AmWriting #SubstackSky New post:
Luke isn't coming to save us
What Andor understands about resistance that the rest of Star Wars doesn't
mattpusateri.substack.com
Whose ideas was it to dress the US men’s soccer team like Waldo?
I used to love Siskel & Ebert, but we're better off without them. My latest on why losing the celebrity film critic gave us something better: Letterboxd, podcasts, and TikTok creators who actually dig into the movies instead of just giving a thumbs up or down. 🎬👍 #FilmSky #Letterboxd
No more Siskels. No more Eberts.
Why Film and TV culture is better off without celebrity critics
mattpusateri.substack.com
I’m sorry, no. This is not the guy who did the reflecting pool. No. Come on. We’re just putting a hat on a hat here. www.nytimes.com/2026/06/18/u...
He’s a generational talent. And he has a brilliant speechwriter. This is incredible.
Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 2mo agothis is honestly an excellent celebratory and motivational speech from Mamdani at the Knicks parade. i'm ready to run through a wall, and i'm not even a Knicks fan
I've spent more time with podcast hosts I've never met than with most of my actual real-world friends. What does that mean? @jeffcannata.bsky.social @davechen.bsky.social @jonesangell.bsky.social @carolinainsiderpod.bsky.social @thefilmcastpod.bsky.social
I have friends everywhere. They just don’t know me.
Why some of the longest-lasting relationships in my life are entirely one-sided.
mattpusateri.substack.com
BLUMENTHAL: Was the Capitol attacked on J6? TRAYNOR: The actions on January 6 were deeply troubling to watch, but I'm not going to characterize it B: You are perpetuating a lie. I don't know how you can continue as a district court judge, let alone serve on court of appeals. Frankly it's shameful.
Sometimes, it's OK to let go of a team that doesn't bring you joy. Hear me out, Browns, Jets, Nets, Clippers, Angels, and Pirates fans, and anyone else with a pro team that always falls short. #nfl #sports #football #chicagobears Latest post:
Why I retired from being a Chicago Bears fan
How a missed 43-yard field goal finally set me free
open.substack.com
so clearly, tonight‘s Knicks game will not be a working class crowd, but nonetheless, I hope they boo the living shit out of Trump if they show him on screen. so lame that he’s going to taint what should be an electric environment.
I ignored Schitt's Creek for years. Watched the pilot, didn't like it, moved on. Then I ran out of excuses and watched all 80 episodes. Everyone who told me I was wrong: you were right. New piece on why the show is so much more than a comedy. #SubstackSky #WritingCommunity #SchittsCreek
What Schitt's Creek got right about starting over
The comedy made viewers laugh, but also had big ideas about losing everything, small spaces, and second chances
mattpusateri.substack.com
There's a folder on my MacBook called "Writing." It's 45.5 MB of half-baked ideas, abandoned novels, and false starts accumulated over 30 years. This is about what's in it — and what it means that it exists. #WritingCommunity mattpusateri.substack.com/p/30-years-o...
Vince Lombardi famously said winners never quit and quitters never win. He had it exactly backwards. New post.
The Art of the Fold
On sunk costs, bad hands, and the benefit of learning when to quit
mattpusateri.substack.com
The Iraqi Information Minister was mocked worldwide for brazen, obvious lying. He was also, it turns out, ahead of his time. New post on how disinformation went from punchline to standard practice. #Politics #Journalism
The Iraqi Information Minister was ahead of his time
In 2003, we laughed at him. Who's laughing now?
mattpusateri.substack.com
You don't actually miss Blockbuster. It's something else...
No, Friday nights at Blockbuster sucked
The problem with Gen X nostalgia porn
open.substack.com
Oops... I started a Substack — pop culture, politics, and the occasional thing that makes me unreasonably angry. Seven posts in. Time to stop keeping it to myself. "A few words over" → mattpusateri.substack.com
A few words over | Matt Pusateri | Substack
Perspectives on life, politics, culture, and things I can't let go. Click to read A few words over, by Matt Pusateri, a Substack publication.
mattpusateri.substack.com
Happy Duke early elimination day to all who observe it… 😁🤣🍾
Insane to live in a time when “hey I don’t think a vague, often masked government agency should be allowed to murder citizens for not moving their car” is somehow a controversial stance.
I didn't need another reason to root against the Lions, but now I have one: "Lions receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown celebrated a touchdown catch by pointing into the stands and moving his arms a la the "Trump dance" that several athletes began doing last year." Pathetic. www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/...
Trump attends NFL game; presidential 1st since '78
Donald Trump became the first sitting president in nearly a half-century at a regular-season NFL game, attending the Commanders' 44-22 loss to the visiting Lions on Sunday.
espn.com
As a former DC resident for nearly 20 years, i can tell you i’ve seen bigger crowds on the mall for kite festivals, dog frisbee competitions, and a rally for The Daily Show
Brian Tyler Cohen@briantylercohen.bsky.social · last yr.Donald Trump does NOT want you to share this footage of his pathetically tiny birthday parade crowd.
BEYER: Isn't this embarrassing? BESSENT: You seem not to have seen the economic data. GDP growth has been quite substantial BEYER: GDP growth is half what it was last year, sir BESSENT: Job growth is solid BEYER: Job growth is a third what it was last year, sir
ChatGPT's new image generator is mind-blowing. I gave it a photo of me and my dog Jackson and asked for it to regenerate it in various styles — Simpsons, Miyazaki, 1950s DC comics, etc... It also allows for clean text placement/changes. Incredible results.
Anora was fine but utterly baffled that it won best picture in a year that Challengers, Ghostlight, and A Real Pain weren’t even nominated. Just give it to Flow.
The exchange between Trump, Vance and Zelenskyy in the Oval Office today in which our country attacked the victim in defense of a brutal aggressor has to be one of the most shameful moments in Modern American history.
It's amazing how Trump and his allies can keep talking with a straight face about "merit"-only-based hiring at the same time they're pushing the nominations of unqualified stooges like Hegseth, RFK, and Patel.