Matt's Musings

Earlier in March I discussed a series of 10 posts on the best winners for Best Picture since 1970. Each Saturday for the next nine weeks I'll be counting down my favorites and discussing the rationale. As always, if you have thoughts, or other favorites, please feel free to comment and share. 9. Gladiator (2000) Starring: Russell Crowe, Joaquin Phoenix, Richard Harris, and Connie Nielsen Director: Ridley Scott About: "Gladiator" was the first winner in the 2000s, and a movie that remains wildly popular 18 years later. I remember when I first saw the movie. I always look forward to the first weekend in May, my birthday weekend, because it features the first big blockbuster of summer. And "Gladiator" was that film during my freshman year in college. I was excited to see it, but I didn't know what to expect.  What I got was both a fantastic summer blockbuster, and something more. "Gladiator" wasn't the first film of its type to be nomina...

We're rolling into April and a funny thing happened — Summer's coming early. Instead of bowing in early May, as originally expected, "The Avengers" are coming to April. That's just one of a number of big releases coming this month as we transition away from Awards Season and toward a set of more populist films. Friday, April 6: Blockers — This comedy focuses on Ike Barinholz, Leslie Mann and John Cena — who play parents of teenage daughters determined to stop their Prom sex pact by any means possible. The trailer looks hilarious, and Cena is a secret comedy all star. I'm in. The Quiet Place — This appears to be a unique horror concept, one that features a family living in a dystopic future where being quiet is the key to survival. John Krasinski stars and directs, and the cast includes Emily Blunt. There's been a big marketing campaign for this one, and I'm hoping it's worth the wait and hype. Chappaquiddick — Even if you don't kno...

We’ve reached the end of March. It also marks Spring Break weekend for many (including families where I live in Colorado Springs) and Easter Weekend. It’s also the weekend of the Final Four. Could we possibly have more going on this weekend? It hasn’t been a banner month for Hollywood. After Black Panther broke records in February, the Box Office has seen a swoon in March . That’s made it harder to project Cineplexes. Last week I thought Tomb Raider and Love, Simon looked like good values. Many also bought into Love, Simon , as it x6 plus Tomb Raider and Black Panther was the Most Popular Cineplex. But Pacific Rim: Uprising bested projections, and it x2, Game Night x5, Red Sparrow was the Perfect Option. This week four new films enter the game — including the most anticipated film of the month, Ready Player One . New at the Box Office: There are four new films in the competition this week, led by Ready Player One. The film, based on the classic novel and d...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. I Can Only Imagine Starring: J. Michael Finley, Dennis Quaid, and Trace Adkins Synopsis: Faith-based films are often a struggle for me. As a friend once said, the problem with Christian films is often that they're so focused on the first part, they forget the second part. But when you find one that remembers the importance of making a good film, it can be a really special experience. And it can bring audiences in droves. "I Can Only Imagine," which tells the life story of Bart Millard, the lead singer of Mercy Me who wrote the famous ballad, is such an offering. It is a movie about the power of faith and redemption, but it remembers what's important in crafting a great story for the big screen. This is a story of family, redemption, love, and finding your way in the world by overcoming obstacles. In a lot of ways, the story here feels similar to the way stories we've seen of secular musicians and their li...

We're nearly through March, but the flood of new shows is still going strong. The cut off for Emmy consideration is May 31, which explains why everyone is pushing to get their new show launched in the window. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Winter/Spring. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Monday Nights: The Terror, Mondays at 9 p.m. on AMC (Premiered March 25) About: AMC is in an interesting place, looking to find new scripted hits and trying a lot of different things. The latest is the 10-episode season of "The Terror," which is based on the novel from Dan Simmons. It centers on a pair of British ships, HMS Erebus and HMS Terror, that set out in the 1840s to find the Northwest Passage and, instead, get trapped in the ice. But that's only a part of the issues and story. The pilot premiered after "The Walking Dead" on Sunday night, and the series got a two-hour block on ...

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. "I saw him in the back of the convoy, that's why I did it. I had to try, I had to." - Rick, "The Walking Dead" The world of "The Walking Dead" is rough on children. Before he found himself, it was fair to wonder if Carl (Chandler Riggs) was a budding psychopath. (Actually, I didn't wonder, I was just pretty sure.) Of course Carol's daughter was lost for half a season until she turned up as Walker stashed in a barn. Carol (Melissa McBride) tried to become a teacher, and tried to take a pair of girls under her wing. But in the fourth season, in what remains the best episode of the series in my opinion in "The Grove," things went off ...

“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” - Matthew 16:15 This Lenten Series, Really?, has been a fun chance to dig into the big questions out there, consider what we believe, and have some really interesting discussions. And now, on the cusp of Holy Week, we consider the biggest question: Who is Jesus Christ? Jesus Himself asked the disciples who they believed He was. Peter's response to that question comes in Matthew 16:16, "Simon Peter answered, 'You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.'” They spent so much time with Jesus and saw what He did. They knew who He was. And so, too, should we who spend time in the Scriptures. The biggest question isn't whether Jesus lived, but whether He was who He claimed to be. Even non-believers acknowledge that Jesus was a man and lived. H.G. Wells once said, "I am a historian, I am not a believer, but I must confess as a historian that the penniless preacher from Nazareth is irrevocably the ve...

Earlier this week I discussed a series of posts the next 10 weeks on the Best Oscar Winners for Best Picture since 1970 . Each Saturday for the next 10 weeks I'll be counting down my favorites and discussing the rationale. As always, if you have thoughts, or other favorites, please feel free to comment and share. 10. The French Connection (1971) Starring: Gene Hackman, Roy Scheider, and Fernando Rey Director: William Friedkin About : As I said in my introduction, it was hard looking at some of the decades. While considering what films to choose for this list, I wasn't taken with any of the winners from the 1980s. But the 1970s, that's a different story. You could make a case for nearly all those films to be in consideration, and in the end I narrowed it down to a few, beginning with today's pick, "The French Connection." This was somewhat of a history-making film at the time, becoming the first R-rated film to win Best Picture. (It wouldn't be the...

We are more than a week into Free Agency, and the 2018 Broncos' roster is starting to take shape. But a big piece of the next season will be about the draft, which includes the No. 5 pick for the Broncos. I'm participating in a mock draft next month, and as part of the research I've been thinking about who the Broncos should and might take. Conventional wisdom suggested a quarterback, but is that the right move? The Broncos sit at five, with the Browns (1, 4), Giants (2) and Jets (3) in front of them. The Jets recently jumped up to the third pick from the sixth, indicating they're all in on getting a quarterback. With the Buffalo Bills also strongly in the market, the movement might not be over. It's even possible the Broncos could trade back. But for now, we'll assume the top five picks hold. The Browns seem incredibly likely to select a quarterback at No. 1. They seem to be in on Sam Darnold right now, but could still go with Josh Allen. For now, I...

Sometimes the Best Value choice is so ridiculously obvious that you can’t miss. Last week was one of those weeks, kind of. I Can Only Imagine got a $41 FML Buck tag based on low projections on Tuesday. But the end of the week, it was clear those projections were WAY off, and the film was going to easily crush its projections. So most people loaded up. The smart people — i.e. those that got a Perfect Cineplex — used Black Panther , I Can Only Imagine x7. Most people did Black Panther , A Wrinkle in Time , I Can Only Imagine x6. I did Black Panther , Love, Simon , I Can Only Imagine x6. I was kinda smart, but not as smart as the majority or as the smartest people. It took guts to program that Perfect Cineplex, too, because you were leaving hundreds of FML bucks on the table. But that was the way to go. This week, there’s five new movies in the field and none of them screams insane value. But for the first time since mid-February, it’s possible that Black Panther won’t cla...

Earlier this month was the 90th Academy Awards. In its history, 90 films have claimed the title of Best Picture. As part of the celebration, Entertainment Weekly had a fan voted, March Madness style bracket competition to determine the Best Picture of the Best Picture winners. Of course, since it was a popular vote, there were flaws. Many people admittedly haven't seen all the competitors. And competitions like that always skew toward populist classics, which partly explains why "Gone With The Wind" walked away with it. Another complaint is that it only included 64 films, and breaking them down by era and pitting them against each other really narrowed the field in constricting ways. (As someone who voted every round, there were some heart-breaking early match ups). But it got me thinking, what are my favorite Best Picture winners? I hold myself to a standard of having to have seen all the competitors, and as much as I love film there are plenty of older Best Pic...

Here we are in the back half of March, and the flood of shows continues. There are many, many returning series on TV and Streaming sites. And there's also tons of new shows. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Winter/Spring. I watch, sometimes, so you don't have to! Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks! Tuesday Nights: Rise, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on NBC (Premiered March 13) About: NBC is looking for a new, emotionally gripping drama to take the place of "This Is Us," the emotionally gripping drama that wrapped up its second season last week. It's turning that slot over to "Rise," a new drama from Jason Katims. Katims previously served as an executive producer on "Friday Night Lights," one of my all-time favorite series, and on "Parenthood," a family drama with a strong cult following that was on NBC for years. So it makes sense that "Rise" would fi...

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. "I look around and ... I think about the people that are gone. And the people that are still here. It ain't right, and it ain't fair." - Daryl, "The Walking Dead" When I was in college, my roomate had a computer game called Civilization. We'd all play it, for hours at a time, when we weren't in class or out doing college things. There were two ways to win the game. The first, and most time consuming, was building a great society. That meant spending time and resources on food, infrastructure, and government. You had to keep the people happy, and give them hope, while keeping them safe. The second, and the way I most often played, was to advance te...

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." — Hebrews 12:2 As part of this "Really?" series, we've been looking at the biggest myths challenging our faith. This week is the biggest question that confronts Christians and non-Christians alike. It's one we struggle with, and one that commonly appears in popular culture, too. I have watched "Grey's Anatomy" since the beginning. It's a show in its 14th season, so it's been going for a long time and there aren't many surprises left. But this season has featured a story arc that is of interest to me. It surrounds April (Sarah Drew), the only openly Christian character on the show. A few weeks back, in one of the best episodes they've had in years, April struggled because no matter how much she fought and prayed, all her patients died. It ...

Free agency has begun, as has the new league year. And that means the Broncos working on the process of re-building. Full disclosure: No matter what moves the team makes, I won't believe we have a solid future as a winning or contending team until we get a real coach. That being said, this hasn't been a bad first week. Of course, it was somewhat of a bummer to see Aqib Talib traded. But I like Chris Harris, Jr., and Bradley Roby, and I think they'll be a solid starting tandem. And Talib's contract made him an almost certain cut or trade candidate for a team that needed cap space to fill some holes. And that's why signing Case Keenum at quarterback might make more sense than going for Kirk Cousins. Is Cousins a better player? Maybe. He has more starting experience and some gaudy numbers on marginal teams. But Keenum took a team within a game of the Super Bowl last year, going 11-3 in 14 starts. That's more than Cousins can say for any of his seasons. And ...