Matt's Musings

March is usually an exciting month at the movies. We're well past the holiday season, awards season is wrapping up, and we're out of the dead period to start the year. While February offers a few notable releases, things really start to pick up in March. This year is no exception, as we'll see three of the most anticipated releases of the Spring pile up in a four-week span. Here's a look at what's coming to a theater near you in March! Friday, March 2: Death Wish - This re-make of the Charles Bronson film stars Bruce Willis as a father, husband, and doctor who has to take matters into his own hands after criminals attack his family. Considering all the calls for curbing gun violence in our climate right now, this feels ill timed, and I'm not sure it's a movie that needed to be re-made. Red Sparrow - Jennifer Lawrence takes the lead role as a Russian agent in this thriller. From the trailers, it kind of looks like a film aimed at "Americans" ...

Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week. Game Night Starring : Jason Bateman, Rachel McAdams, Kyle Chandler, Sharon Horgan, Billy Magnussen, LaMorne Morris, Kyle Bunbury, and Jesse Plemmons Synopsis : What do you like to do when you get together with friends? Some have dinner and chat. Some go on activities. And others like to have a fun, competitive game night. But at those game nights, there's usually always that one couple that takes it a little too seriously, and for whom winning means a little too much. That's the case with Max (Bateman) and Annie (McAdams), in fact it was their shared competitive nature and need to win that first brought them together. And it's why the weekly game night with friends is the focal point of their lives. Of course, for Max, it all started years earlier as a rivalry with his brother, Brooks (Chandler). When Brooks turns back up and wants to host a special game night himself, Max is determined to win to help get his mojo flo...

The Winter Olympics are over, which means it gets much more complicated to decide what to watch. That's in part because TV is back and bigger than ever. And I mean that. There were FIVE new series that premiered on Monday night, in addition to the return of "iZombie" on the CW and "UnReal" on Lifetime. So, yeah, there's a lot of TV now, and it's just getting started. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Monday Nights: Living Biblically, Mondays at 9:30 p.m. on CBS (Premiered February 26) About: I can't be objective about this show because I've been waiting for its premier for months. Not because of the upfronts, in fact I vaguely remembered it would be a mid-season replacement sitcom. It's because I was part of a focus group for the show in Las Vegas at TV City in October. During the focus group, we watched an episode ...

I have been a faithful watcher of "The Walking Dead" since it premiered. While I've soured on the show in recent seasons (as have many others, based on season eight ratings), I'll be recapping each of the episodes of the back half of Season 8 as the show moves into a new chapter. "Mom told me I would beat this world. I didn't. But you will." - Carl, to his sister Judith, on "The Walking Dead" What would you do if you knew it was your last day? Would you try to express how much loved ones have meant to you? Would you enjoy one last session of rocking on the porch with your sister? Would you want to feel the warmth of the sun on your face one last time? Those were all the things Carl (Chandler Riggs) set out to do, and it was part of a fiercely emotional episode that was not only the best of this season, but possibly one of the best ever. Prior to last night, if you were to ask me what my favorite episode of TWD is, I would have said 4....

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." - Hebrews 4:12-13 This week, as part of the Really? Series, we tackled the idea "The Bible is Bogus." The Bible is the best-selling book every year, and has been around for a long time. But any metric we typically use to verify the authenticity of manuscripts, the Bible has the best record. But there are still those that believe it's just a book--one written by human authors and containing the wisdom of man. We believe something different. While, yes, the Bible was written by men, its inspiration and wisdom comes from a different source. " All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcti...

On Sunday, March 4 we'll learn which one of nine films nominated for Best Picture will claim the top prize. Between now and then, I'll be looking at each of the Best Picture Nominees, continuing today with "Phantom Thread." Phantom Thread Starring: Daniel Day-Lewis, Lesley Maneville, and Vicky Krieps Director: Paul Thomas Anderson Total Nominations: 6 Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor (Day-Lewis), Best Supporting Actress (Manville), Best Director (Anderson), Best Original Score, and Best Costume Design About: "Phantom Thread" is a fantastic film, coming from Paul Thomas Anderson and re-teaming him with Day-Lewis, who was the star of his film "There Will Be Blood." It's been a highly anticipated film, and one that will feature Day-Lewis' last performance. But most were unsure what would happen with the film when it came to the Academy Awards. Shockingly, the film earned six nominations and became part of the Best Picture a...

With the Academy Awards right around the corner on Sunday, March 4, I'm previewing the races. Today, I'll be looking at the acting races. Best Actor: * Daniel Day-Lewis, "Phantom Thread" * Timothée Chalamet, "Call Me By Your Name" * Daniel Kaluuya, "Get Out" * Gary Oldman, "Darkest Hour" * Denzel Washington, "Roman J. Israel, Esq." About: This is a race that's had a clear favorite from the jump in Oldman, and I think he's still likely to win. A dark horse candidate, to me, is Day-Lewis, one of two previous winners in the category, and a legend who is likely to retire after this final role. He's masterful in the part. Will that sway voters? Best Actress: * Frances McDormand, "Three Billboards outside Ebbing, Missouri" * Margot Robbie, "I, Tonya" * Saoirse Ronan, "Lady Bird" * Meryl Streep, "The Post" * Sally Hawkins, "The Shape of Water" About: T...

Well, if you went to the movies last weekend, odds are you and everyone you know or ever met went and saw Black Panther . While that might be a (slight) exaggeration, the film smashed Box Office records during its incredible four-day opening. And if it wasn’t in your Cineplex, you likely weren’t even in the running last weekend. I had Saturday, plus a lot of Jumanji , in my Cineplex. Jumanji did well, and Saturday’s Black Panther outpaced projections. But so did every other day, and so did 15:17 to Paris . So the Perfect Cineplex was four Monday x4, which was the Best Value, plus 15:17 to Paris , The Post x2 and a blank screen. The Most Popular was Friday, Saturday, Maze Runner and five blank screens. Both placed better than me — so let’s not talk about it… Black Panther again has daily scoring this weekend, which makes sense. Despite a trio of new releases, Black Panther is projected at more than $100 million over the three days, and will easily be the top film. In fa...

For the first time since 1998, and the second time ever, the U.S. Women captured Gold in Hockey! I’ve said it before, but I’ll say it again — if you’re not watching the Winter Olympics, you’re missing out. Some have complained that the U.S. has struggled in these games. As of Thursday morning, the United States is in fourth with 21 medals. We’re not that far off the pace from Sochi in 2014, where we totaled 28 medals . In fact, the U.S. currently has as many Silver medals and just one fewer Gold medal than we won in 2014. But the Olympics aren’t just about the medals. I previously wrote about the four exciting nights watching the Americans capture Gold in snowboard , but equally as compelling was watching our athletes struggle, and find strength to rise up again — showing the Heart of a Champion . And while it’s been a quiet week for Americans earning medals in PyeongChang, Wednesday saw a flurry of activity as the ladies of the U.S. showed their strength, tenacity and skill...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week, including the rise of the Black Panther! Black Panther Starring: Chadwick Boseman, Michael B. Jordan, Lupita Nyong'o, Danai Gurira, Martin Freeman, Letitia Wright, Angela Bassett, Forrest Whitaker, Daniel Kaluuya, Andy Serkis, Sterling K. Brown, and Winston Duke Synopsis: Ryan Coogler is an excellent filmmaker. His first feature, "Fruitvale Station" in 2013, was an award-worthy debut, though it was sadly overlooked. His second feature, "Creed," was far better than it had any right to be. It was the seventh film in the "Rocky" franchise, and it earned a nomination for Sylvester Stallone's work, but it was really the style of Coogler and the performance from Jordan that lifted that film to heights I didn't expect. That made Coogler an inspired choice to tackle "Black Panther," the latest entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but a film that is incredibly important, and a gam...

We're in the midst of the Winter Olympics, so you'd be forgiven if it was all skiing and snowboarding all the time on your TV these last few days. But there are some new shows that have debuted opposite the winter games, and I've been checking them out. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted shows this winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Wednesday Nights: Channel Zero: Butcher's Block, Wednesdays at 10 p.m. on SyFy (Premiered February 7) About: This is the third iteration of the horror anthology series for Syfy that's based on Internet horror stories known as Creepy Pastas. This latest one takes place in a small town where the disappearance of the Peach family, and the closing of their meat packing plant, caused the town to go into an economic spiral. But, turns out the family didn't so much leave as turn into some sort of vengeful vampires. Or zombies. Or just creepy cannibals. Through t...

On Sunday, March 4 we'll learn which one of nine films nominated for Best Picture will claim the top prize. Between now and then, I'll be looking at each of the Best Picture Nominees, continuing today with "Call Me By Your Name." Call Me By Your Name Starring: Armie Hammer, Timothy Chalamet, and Michael Stuhlbarg Director:  Luca Guadagnino Total Nominations: 4 Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor (Chalamet), Best Adapted Screenplay (James Ivory), and Best Original Song ("The Mystery of Love") About: This is an interesting entry in the fray. Much of the discussion of this film — aside from the story — was about how beautifully it was shot and crafted. Yet, it didn't get any nominations for direction or cinematography. Instead, it's a Best Picture nominee and it got nominations for Chalamet in the lead role, and for Ivory's screenplay. It was also one of the Best Original Song nominees. As with all of these nominees the question is ...

"But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect..." — 1 Peter 3:15 On Sunday we began a new series for lent, Really?, that will look at different myths about the church each week. I'm really excited about this series, and the idea of considering some of these bigger questions as we head toward Easter. And I plan on writing a little bit of what these questions and discussions stir in me each week. The first week tackled the idea "We Made God." Pastor Tim began with a question, "what do you do when someone says they don't believe in God?" That's an important — and terrifying question. My honest answer is that I try to extricate myself as quickly as possible, because I'm worried that I won't be able to answer their questions and that it will be a disaster. And I think that's natural. B...

On Sunday, March 4 we'll learn which one of nine films nominated for Best Picture will claim the top prize. Between now and then, I'll be looking at each of the Best Picture Nominees, continuing today with "Dunkirk." Dunkirk Starring: Fionn Whitehead, Mark Rylance, Tom Hardy, and Kenneth Branagh Director: Christopher Nolan Total Nominations: 8 Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Director (Nolan), Best Cinematography, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Sound Editing, and Best Sound Mixing About: As I mentioned yesterday, there are two World War II films that surround the same event that are nominated for Best Picture. I looked at the first, "Darkest Hour," yesterday. Today, I look at "Dunkirk." It's the superior film, and has more nominations. But whereas "Darkest Hour" is notable for its performances, "Dunkirk" stands out more for its technical achievement. It's not that the perfo...

ABC’s Wide World of Sports had a slogan to describe its presentations — the agony of defeat and the thrill of victory. If you’re in sports, or watch sports long enough, you’ll undoubtedly experience both. And the first week of competition at the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang have given us examples of both. The thrill of victory came in the first five nights of Prime Time competition. Americans claimed Gold the first four nights in snowboarding , and on Wednesday night when Mikaela Shiffrin finally made her debut, she claimed America’s fifth Gold Medal, this time in Giant Slalom.  The team from the United States hasn’t won a gold medal since, and they’ve claimed just one medal ( Saturday in Speed Skating ) since Shiffrin’s golden run. And it was Thursday night that gave us our first taste of the agony of defeat. And while American athletes didn’t win on Thursday, as we’ve seen in the days since, they are not defeated. And, in fact, there was beauty and triumph in...

On Sunday, March 4 we'll learn which one of nine films nominated for Best Picture will claim the top prize. Between now and then, I'll be looking at each of the Best Picture Nominees, continuing today with "Darkest Hour." Darkest Hour Starring: Gary Oldman, Lily James, Kristin Scott Thomas, Stephen Dillane, and Ben Mendelsohn Director: Joe Wright Total Nominations : 6 Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Actor (Oldman), Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Hair and Makeup About: Among the nine films nominated for Best Picture are two World War II films that both center on the battle at Dunkirk. I'll be looking at both films over the next two days as part of these previews for the Academy Awards. "Darkest Hour," from director Joe Wright, is a portrait of British Prime Minister Winston Churchill (Oldman) during his first few days of his time in office, including the turbulent early days of World War II when the B...