Matt's Musings

So we’ve reached the point in the Fantasy Football season where the end is a lot closer than the beginning, especially for those out of the playoff race. While you can enter DFS tournaments until the first Sunday in February, you’re likely starting to look at alternatives to fill you time. Thankfully the Fantasy Movie League has you covered! It’s a fun, weekly came that comes in four 13-week seasons. The Winter Season begins this weekend, and will carry through February. Getting a team and playing is free, just visit www.fantasymovieleague.com. The concept is also simple: you get a $1,000 budget each week to fill eight screens. There are 15 movies in the pool each week, each priced differently according to projected Box Office Performance. Your job is to try and pick the right combination to maximize profits. If you do, you get a bonus for a Perfect Cineplex. If you pick the movie that’s the Best Value (the one that makes the most money per cost), you also get a bonus. Let ...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. Coco Starring: Anthony Gonzalez, Gael Garcia Bernal, Benjamin Bratt, Alana Urbach, Jamie Camil, and Edward James Olmos Synopsis: Sometimes films are victims of poor marketing plans and campaigns. I think we will end up remembering that "Coco" suffered that fate. Originally, it was talked about as a late September release. Then the Disney decided to pair "Coco" with a special Christmas-themed short from "Frozen," and suddenly the film had a Thanksgiving weekend release. From one standpoint, Thanksgiving is a time when people go to the theaters. And "Frozen" certainly has its own mass appeal. I, in fact, quite enjoyed the "Frozen" short. But both the inclusion of the "Frozen" short, and the marketing campaign surrounding it, and the Thanksgiving release date serve to distract from "Coco," which is in many ways a stunning achievement that deserves its own spotl...

We've reached the portion of the Fall TV Season where the networks are winding it down. But luckily for content consumers, the streaming sites are just ramping it up. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this fall. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Streaming Series: Marvel's Runaways, Now Streaming on Hulu (Premiered November 21) About: Hulu has had a great creative year. "The Handmaid's Tale," which bowed in April, has brought them critical and commercial acclaim. But that's just one piece of the original content pie for Hulu, which is quickly expanding beyond the reputation for being a site to go and catch up on network series from NBC, ABC, and FOX. It's still that, too, but like other streaming sites, it's so much more in an attempt to continue to build and audience share. The latest offering is "Marvel's Runaways," based on an obscure Marvel property abou...

In the "Shawshank Redemption," one of the best movies ever made, Red offers words of wisdom about the nature of Hope. He says, “Let me tell you something my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane.” I think that's something Broncos have have had to internalize about this 2017 NFL Season. Week 12 : Oakland Raiders 21, Denver Broncos 14 Season Record: 3-8 (3-3 Home) Key Play: In the fourth quarter, with just over two minutes remaining and the score 21-14, the Raiders faced a third and eight deep in their own territory. On an all out blitz, Derek Carr connected with Cordarelle Patterson on a 54-yard strike that salted the game away. Recap: Boy, that was rough. It was a day filled with promise that quickly turned sour. Then the Broncos sparked some hope in the fourth quarter, only to dash it away in brutal fashion. As Red said above, "Hope can be a dangerous thing." And after Sunday, I think I might be all hoped out for the 2017 Bron...

We've reached the final month of the year. December offers a mixture of holiday and event films, as well as films competing for Oscars. It also features a number of limited releases, some of which I'll chronicle here in case you can find a place to catch it. Friday, December 1: He's Out There — The lone wide release on the first Friday in December is a horror movie about a mother and kids trapped in a spooky lake house. Merry Christmas... Friday, December 8: The Disaster Artist — This film from James Franco (he directs and stars) gets a wide expansion on December 8. It's a biopic that tells the story of the labor of love that it took to make one of the worst movies ever made. I, Tonya (Limited) — This biopic of Tonya Harding starring Margot Robbie and Alison Janey is a strong contender for awards this year. It's also supposed to be one of the year's best. The Shape of Water (Limited) — Another limited release, this one starring Sally Hawkins and...

It's a big week for the Denver Broncos. Lorenzo Doss was released, writing a somewhat sad end to the 2015 draft class for the Broncos, which doesn't have that many players left outside of top pick Shane Ray. On Sunday, the 2016 draft's top pick, Paxton Lynch, will finally ascend to the starting role for a chance to prove his worth. The Broncos haven't had a lot of luck in recent drafts, and it's starting to take a toll. And as we talk about drafts, it's time to take a look at the vaunted 2017 draft class and what we've learned. We'll divide it into the Good, The Bad, and the Undecided. The Good: * Garrett Bolles looks like the real deal. The left tackle has been a bright spot on the offensive line, bringing some grit and stability. And he looks like a good pick, one that could be part of the Broncos' lineup for some time. * Brendan Langley. I'm adding Langley here though he hasn't made a huge impact. He's returned just five kic...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. Justice League Starring: Henry Cavil, Ben Affleck, Gal Gadot, Ezra Miller, Jason Momoa, Ray Fisher, Jeremy Irons, and Amy Adams Synopsis: They all come together here. In 2008, Marvel kick started its cinematic universe. It all culminated in 2012 with "The Avengers," a superhero team up that brought people to the cinema in droves. Not coincidentally, a year later DC tried to do the same thing with "Man of Steel." And four years later, it, too, has culminated its superhero team up with "Justice League." In this one, a follow up to "Batman vs. Superman" a year ago, Batman (Affleck) and Wonder Woman (Gadot) are trying to honor the memory of Superman (Cavil) by putting together a team to defend the world. This is one of the most highly anticipated films of the year, and one that people became more hopeful about after the success of the "Wonder Woman" movie this summer. "Justic...

There have been three times this fall season where all my assumptions were wrong, and it cost me. Once was in September, when I bought into Mother! , and it flopped. Once was a bit later when My Little Pony looked like too excellent a deal, until it wasn’t. The third time was last week. Justice League was tracking with better pre-sale numbers than Wonder Woman, and looked like and easy anchor choice. Wonder was modestly priced, but had projections all over the board. I bet on the Justice League . I bet wrong. Wonder made more than $27 million, and was easily the best value. Those that chose to put it on seven screens cleared more than $200 million last weekend, easily being the Perfect Cineplex. Mine made just over $70 million. So, yeah, that wasn’t great. Now we enter the final week of the Fall Season and, barring a miracle, I’m not getting to the top spot in any league. I could still have a Perfect Cineplex, though, and that’s what I’m shooting for now. On to Week 1...

We are heading into the home stretch, and there are no more bye weeks. There are four Thanksgiving Day games tomorrow, though, so we're getting the picks out early. I have a two pick lead, but it's really anyone's game. As always, Lindsay's picks are in brackets. NFL Picks, Week 12 Vikings Over Lions (Vikings) Cowboys Over Chargers (Cowboys) Redskins Over Giants (Redskins) Falcons Over Buccaneers (Falcons) Chiefs Over Bills (Chiefs) Eagles Over Bears (Eagles) Bengals Over Browns (Bengals) Titans Over Colts (Titans) Patriots Over Dolphins (Patriots) Panthers Over Jets (Panthers) Seahawks Over 49ers (Seahawks) Broncos Over Raiders (Raiders) Rams Over Saints (Saints) Jaguars Over Cardinals (Jaguars) Steelers Over Packers (Packers) Ravens Over Texans (Ravens) Last Week: 10-4 Lindsay: 9-5 Season: 100-60 Lindsay: 98-62 NFL Picks Spread, Week 12 Vikings -2.5 Over Lions Cowboys -.5 Over Chargers Redskins -7.5 Over Giants Falcons -8.5 Over Buccan...

We're in November and plenty of new streaming and cable series continue to roll out. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this fall. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Monday Nights: Ill Behaviour, Mondays at 10:30 p.m. on Showtime (Premiered November 13) About: This latest Showtime comedy, which was dumped on Monday nights, is an import from England. It features plenty of folks that will be familiar to American audiences, including Lizzy Caplan and Chris Geere of "You're The Worst." The story centers on a pair of friends who kidnap a third friend when he's diagnosed with cancer and decides to forgo medical treatment for a holistic approach. They instead kidnap him to force him to take Chemo. I thought the first episode was kind of interesting, and the comedy worked. The second episode was a little more flat, and led me to wonder how interested I am in this story as a weekly series. It s...

Well, there's not a lot of happy things to say, but I'll try my best below. Week 11: Cincinnati Bengals 20, Denver Broncos 17 Season Record: 3-7 (3-3 Home) Key Play: In the second half, with the Broncos trailing just 13-10, Andy Dalton connected with A.J. Green on an 18-yard TD pass to put the Bengals up 10 points. It proved to be the difference. Recap: The Broncos have now lost six in a row, including three in a row at home. They are 3-7 and the season has faded from view. There are still six games left, and the Broncos will probably win at least one, but they are not a playoff team. In fact, it's been a year of collapse for the AFC West. The Raiders are 4-6, not that much better, while the Chiefs are just 6-4 and seem to be fading. But this isn't about other teams, it's about the Broncos, who have fallen apart. Brock Osweiler isn't the answer. He hasn't been terrible, but the team is 0-3 with him at the helm, including 0-2 at home, and they lack s...

Fantasy Football players have long memories. We can remember all the great performances that carried our teams. Like my first season playing, when I was in a two quarterback league and a resurgent Michael Vick and my pick up of Tim Tebow carried me to a second place finish in the league. In fact, Vick won a week for me all by himself with a 40-plus point output against the Washington Redskins on   Monday Night Football . We can also remember the bad moves that crushed up. The memory of that 40 point game the season prior led me to draft Vick No. 1 overall the following season. I wasn’t alone as many…cough, cough, Matthew Berry, cough, cough.. advocated the same. That didn’t work out so well. But the reason I bring this up is that it’s our long memory, specifically the Fantasy playoff run in the 2013 season, that had many fans somewhat excited and nostalgic when Josh Gordon was reinstated by the NFL. He won’t be eligible to play until Week 13 at the earliest, but many have alre...