Matt's Musings

 We’ve made it to August, which means the NFL Season is just around the corner! Over the course of the month, I’ll be previewing each of the division races, looking at the teams in order of finish from 2025. Below, we continue with the NFC North. Let’s dive in! Chicago Bears (11-6) About : The Bears rose above the fray in a division where all four teams were above .500. The first year under Ben Johnson was a success but the Bears have hopes of going further in 2026. The team clarified its offense by moving on from D.J. Moore, which means it's all about Rome Odunze, Luther Burden, and tight end Colston Loveland. Caleb Williams was brilliant at times, but needs to work on his accuracy. Still, the Bears will be fun to watch and fun to roster in fantasy. Prediction: The Bears will compete for an NFC North Title and return to the playoffs. Green Bay Packers (9-7-1) About : The Packers entered last year as a Super Bowl favorite and it never quite turned out that way. The team struggled ...

 Since 2002, we’ve seen three men play Peter Parker in a total of eight live-action films. The most recent is Tom Holland, who in his last installment brought all of the other spider-men and their iconic villains back together. It was a huge moment, and one that changed our latest Peter’s life forever. He had to choose to let everyone forget him in order to save the world. That film was a big piece of the post-Avengers Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it left one of the most popular stars seemingly isolated. With Holland returning for a fourth film—something no other Spider-Man has done—the question was how do we move forward? This is also the first of the Holland films without Jon Watts in the director’s chair. But is this Brand New Day worth checking out? The answer is a resounding yes. The film finds Peter in the immediate aftermath of where he was left in his last film. He’s alone, no one remembers him, but Spider-Man is still the savior of the city. He finds a place to set up a ...

  We’re done with July and on to August. Summer is coming to a close and it’s just about time for Fall. But before the torrent of Fall begins, we have a few last series staking their claim on Summer. But what of these new shows is worth your time to check out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new series this Summer. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Thursdays: Stuart Fails to Save the Universe, Streaming Thursdays on HBO Max (Premiered July 23) About: This spin-off of the Big Bang Theory is a wild departure from the original series. And yet, from a casting perspective, it’s the most closely tied spin-off to the original. It centers on four peripheral characters from the show—Stuart (Kevin Sussman), Bert (Brian Posehn), Barry (John Ross Bowie) and Denise (Lauren Lapkus)—on a series of adventures through the multi-verse. We learn in the pilot it’s due to a device created by Sheldon, Leonard, and Howard, but those th...

 We’ve made it to August, which means the NFL Season is just around the corner! Over the course of the month, I’ll be previewing each of the division races, looking at the teams in order of finish from 2025. Below, we continue with the AFC West. Let’s dive in! Denver Broncos (13-4) About: The Broncos finished first in the AFC West and the AFC, but an injury to Bo Nix in the Divisional Round led to a loss in the AFC Championship Game. That was tough, but the Broncos are poised for another run in 2026. Nix is back healthy, and the Broncos added Jaylen Waddle to provide more pop in the passing game. The team also added Jonah Coleman to provide depth in the backfield. With a strong defense and a good team overall, the Broncos are contenders. Prediction: This team will be in the mix to win the AFC West again and make the AFC Playoffs. Los Angeles Chargers (11-6) About: The Chargers fell short last season, leading to some changes. Mike McDaniel is in as Offensive Coordinator, hoping to ...

 We’ve made it to August, which means the NFL Season is just around the corner! Over the course of the month, I’ll be previewing each of the division races, looking at the teams in order of finish from 2025. Below, we start with the NFC West. Let’s dive in! Seattle Seahawks (14-3) About: The Seahawks won the NFC West, won the NFC, then won the Super Bowl. So, you know, they did pretty well! The Seahawks also didn’t have a ton of changes, which helps. Sam Darnold is back at quarterback, with all his primary receivers—Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Rashid Shaheed, and Cooper Kupp, along with tight end A.J. Barner. But the team lost Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker, who is now on the Chiefs. Still, the team has Zach Charbonnet, who is recovering from a torn ACL, and rookie Jadarian Price to carry the load. That combined with a mostly returned defense should help. I think the Seahawks are still going to be a strong team. Prediction: The Seahawks will still make the playoffs, but I don’t know if they...

It's hard to believe, but 1996 was 30 years ago. Over the next few weeks I'm going to be looking at some stand out films from 1996 that are turning 30 in 2026. Today, it's the start of a franchise. Stanley Goodspeed : Well, I'm one of those fortunate people who like my job, sir. Got my first chemistry set when I was seven, blew my eyebrows off, we never saw the cat again, been into it ever since. The Rock Starring : Nicholas Cage, Ed Harris, and Sean Connery Director : Michael Bay About: Look, I'm an unabashed fan of Bay and his filmmaking, but this is one of his more universally praised films. This was his second feature, coming years before he became the man behind Transformers . It's got a great cast and the action of the film works well. I like the story and the way that it all comes together. It's an iconic action film that remains a classic for fans and for those love a good, late-night cable classic.