ByMatthewPorter

@bymatthewporter.com

100 Followers 86 Following

Writer. Destroyer of keyboards. Coffee enthusiast. Movie obsessive (movie and theater reviews on YouTube). New book: ephemeralindustries.com/pub_001/ IMMP podcast: www.IMMProject.com Blog and newsletter: www.ByMatthewPorter.com

Graphic depicting the Calgary skyline with mountains in the background, and the text: PANELIST - Join me at Bouchercon, October 21-25, 2026, Calgary Canada.
Poster at the Alamo Drafthouse for the movie COMMUNION (the 1989 adaptation of Whitley Strieber’s alien encounter book, starring Christopher Walken.
Mass-market paperback of COMMUNION by Whitley Strieber. The cover illustration shows an archetypal "gray alien."
A mug with a Hario V-60 pour over cone, on a countertop scale. The brown mug bears the seal of "Sheriff, Absaroka County." (Absaroka is the fictional Wyoming county in Craig Johnson's Walt Longmire novels)
The promotional seal for the International Center for Care & Conservation of Giraffe.
A Magic the Gathering playmat from Loading Ready Run. It is divided into specific areas with the labels: Commander's Hangout The Pile Dead Stuff Really, Really Dead Stuff Fighty Place Dudes Lands & Junk
Harrison Ford as Deckard administering a Voight-Kampff test in BLADE RUNNER.
Alamo Drafthouse digital display of lobby poster for the Terror Tuesday screening of the film ONE MISSED CALL.
On a patch of grass, a sign with a picture of a deer and text that reads “FAWNS FOLLOW MOMS - SLOW DOWN FOR WILDLIFE.” Looks like something has been nibbling on a corner of the sign.
Screen shot from delivery service site: This order is scheduled for delivery. Order is scheduled for delivery on Saturday, June 20, 2026. We estimate your carrier will arrive at approximately 02:44.
A screenshot from the Alamo Drafthouse app promoting "THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS 25th Anniversary Movie Party." Featured prominently is Vin Diesel as Dominic Toretto, his arms wide, orating before a crowd at an illegal LA street race as he is about to deride undercover police officer Brian O'Conner for "granny shifting" among other grievous lapses in motoring skill.
Digital lobby poster at the Alamo Drafthouse for a screening of the MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE movie (2026). I’m attending a 6:30 screening, but for some reason the poster still shows the 3:30 showtime.
A haphazard stack of small notebooks, including a yellow "Decomposition Book" and an Archie McPhee "Bigfoot Pocket Journal." On top of the stack is a blue Pilot Vanishing Point fountain pen.
A bottle of “WHOOSH!” Screen cleaner. The bottle is a clear plastic cylinder with black and orange labeling. Nearby are a tiny purple owl figurine and a white Stream Deck.
Page from a bullet journal notebook showing a diagram of a square room, with dimensional measurements.
A white retractable fountain pen, closed, sitting on a brown notebook.
In a scene from SEVERANCE, Mark explains “The work is mysterious and important.” But did he have tiny Ouija boards? No, I didn’t think so.
Sitting on a table with a blue tablecloth, an official Hasbro “World’s Smallest Ouija Board,” in its original packaging, and a very tiny wooden Ouija-type spirit board, including a minuscule planchette
Screen from a children’s point-and-click game showing a variety of socks in a blue laundry basket.
The symbols for the five colors of mana in Magic: the Gathering. Sun (white), Water (blue), Skull (black), Flame (red), Tree (green)
GIF: old Han Solo saying, “It’s all true,”
On a desk, surrounded by electronic equipment: a pile of Zenner cards with blue patterned backs and faces bearing symbols such as stars and crosses. Above them is a packaging label identifying the set as “Low Cost ESP Testing Cards”
A stick sanding in a snowy yard. The stick is a snow gauge, but snow has stuck to it, obscuring the inch markers and making it unreadable.
Tucked into a corner outside a suburban house, a large outdoor shed with gray double doors.
Scene from a charming Thomas the Tank Engine story, for children, in which Henry, a vain locomotive who is afraid to go outside, is bricked up inside a tunnel. Forever.
iPhone screenshot of WiFi settings, with the message “Unable to join the network ‘AlamoWifi’”
Movie poster for the film EXIT 8, at the door to Auditorium 8 (labeled with a large lighted numeral 8). The movie poster depicts people walking on a möbius strip that bears tiles and signage like a train station.
Indigo and Fezzik from THE PRINCESS BRIDE.
Page from a novel: "I suppose he could have the phony sculpture, and maybe the remaining jars," Harris said. "Right. And if we can wrap up who pulled off the heist, and prove that Wells killed Vargas, that should clear Fielding." "All right," Harris said, "I'll leave you to it." He extended a hand to Mark. "It was good meeting you, Mark. Every time I meet one of Martin's associates, I'm impressed, but I had no idea he had an art expert in the bull pen." Mark shook the hand, but he gave a steely sideways glance at me. "Glad to meet you too," Mark told Harris, "and glad to help." With a nod, a wave, and a stop at the counter to pay for his extra cookie, Harris was out the door and driving away. A minute later Mark and I had followed him outside. A pair of sparrows hopped out of our way on the walk, pausing in their fight over a large bread crust to look up at us with sharp black eyes and give a synchronized chirp. "Well, Mark," I said, "looks like we have a few people to talk to." "Who asked you?" Mark demanded. I turned to him. "What the hell?" "Sorry," Mark said, gesturing down the path. "I was talking to the birds."
A gray notebook and black pen, sitting on a black desk pad and surrounded by stationery, electronics, and other accessories.
Three bags of coffee beans with the label of Corvus Coffee, standing on a red and white checked tablecloth.
Panel of speakers at a table. Three women and one man (l-r): Wendall Thomas, Robin Burcell, Leslie Karst, and Randall Brandt)
In a large meeting room, a man in a black shirt on a dais speaking to an audience.
Interior of the ferry building marketplace in San Francisco. A long corridor lined with shops and stalls, with a mezzanine overlooking from above.
Book cover for THE SPELLMAN FILES by Lisa Lutz. A blue-green background with a black graphic depiction of a person in a hat using a magnifying glass.
A small red hardback book — Bartholomew’s LONDON POCKET ATLAS, 1946. The cover shows the shield of the City of London.
A round waffle with the image of a classic “gray alien” face embossed in the center.
A tall glass containing an egg cream: a beverage made with milk, seltzer, and chocolate syrup. Light brown with a lighter, foamy top
Book cover for QUESTIONS FOR THE DEAD, a Martin Rodak psychic mystery by Matthew Porter. The cover features a black and gray silhouette of the Denver skyline with mountains in the background.
Fresh snowfall with a snow gauge indicating approximately 7 inches. Pine trees and ranch fencing nearby.
Movie poster for CHITTY CHITTY BANG BANG, featuring Dick Van Dyke, Sally Ann Howes, and an old-timey car that flies on colorful folding wings.
Screen cap from the game EARTHBOUND, showing the characters Ness, Paula and Jeff walking along a quiet street in Onett Town. An emergency vehicle idles at a corner across the street.
The Ghostbusters marching as a team, preparing their proton packs for combat.
Image from the film SPEED RACER showing Speed’s car dominating the competition on a crowded track.
A photo backdrop in the Alamo lobby featuring a poster for WICKED: FOR GOOD, life-size standees of Elphaba and Glinda, and strings of letters spelling out “YOU’RE GONNE BE POPULAR”
Handwritten note that says “VULGARIAN REGIME CHANGE”
Package for “Sparkling Mythical Creatures” cookies
An old CRT television sitting outside in a corner of painted cinderblock walls.
Ralph Richardson as the sorcerer Ulrich of Cragganmore from the film DRAGONSLAYER. An old man in ceremonial robes, holding a staff and gesturing as he casts a spell.
Ralph Richardson as the sorcerer Ulrich of Cragganmore from the film DRAGONSLAYER. An old man with a wispy beard, a staff, a traveling hat and a stern expression.
Cardboard box containing a small collection of Magic the Gathering cards and game accessories
Exuberant mustachioed man in a satin jumpsuit.
Red and blue sign with a quote from Sen. Joni Ernst: “We all are going to die.”
Hobbits Sam, Frodo, Merry and Pippin from THE LORD OF THE RINGS
On a desk, a small cloth covered in deep red and blue splotches.
Next to an open shipping box, a package of merchandise fully protected by careful layers of bubble wrap.
Screenshot of an Alamo Season Pass ticket to a screening of THE BRUTALIST
Image from the Duolingo iOS widget, featuring the Duolingo owl in the foreground and a burning house in the background.