Matt's Musings

We're just about to August, and just about to make the turn from the last of the summer series to the new fall series. But we're not quite there yet. There is still a handful of new shows out in August to watch out for. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Wednesdays Nights: Burden of Truth, Wednesdays at 8 p.m. on The CW (Premiered July 25) About: This latest series for the CW is a co-production with Canada, where the first season has already aired. It stars Kristen Kreuk, formerly of "Smallville," as a lawyer assigned to defend a drug company against charges their product is poisoning girls in her old home town. She travels there and begins to make it all go away. But along the way, she discovers her client can't be the cause, and she's moved by the condition of these girls. So she stays to help discover what's causing it and he...

Training Camp in Dove Valley is open, and the pre-season is just weeks away. so now is the time to start looking at this Broncos squad. In a series of pieces I'll be looking at each position group prior to the start of the pre-season. Today I'm looking at the wide receivers. Players : Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Courtland Sutton, DaeSean Hamilton, Isaiah McKenzie, Jordan Taylor, Mark Chapman, River Cracraft, Corey Brown, Kenny Bell, Jordan Leslie, Tim Patrick, John Diarse, and Carlos Henderson 2018 Outlook : At this time last year it was a familiar group among receivers. But what a difference a year makes. Gone is Bennie Fowler, who had talent but never really locked into a meaningful role, and gone is Cody Latimer, the high draft pick who never really found his way among the receivers. Also seemingly gone is last year's third round pick, Carlos Henderson. He didn't play last season and was arrested in January. Still, there was some thought and hope he...

Training Camp in Dove Valley is open, and the pre-season is just weeks away. so now is the time to start looking at this Broncos squad. In a series of pieces I'll be looking at each position group prior to the start of the pre-season. Today I'm looking at the running backs. Players: Royce Freeman, Devontae Booker, DeAngelo Henderson, David Williams, Phillip Lindsay, and Andy Janovich 2018 Outlook: This is a unit that will experience some big changes. At this time last year, the Broncos had C.J. Anderson locked in as the starter, had signed Jamaal Charles to add some pop and were looking forward to a strong second season from Booker. Now, Charles is a free agent and Anderson is in Carolina. Booker is in, and has the first crack at being the starter. Second-year player Henderson is hoping to get a bigger role, and rookie Freeman could be the future at the position. Those three seem locked into the final roster, the question is who else makes it. This is a smaller positio...

Recently I chronicled my favorite Best Picture Winners since 1970. Now, for the next three weeks, I'll be sharing my 10 favorite films that fell short of Best Picture despite being nominees since 1990. 3. Up In The Air Starring: George Clooney, Anna Kendrick, and Vera Farmiga Director: Jason Reitman About: This list has featured some movies that are real favorites of mine, which is partly how they ended up on the list. While the top two on this list the next couple of weeks have strong cultural statements, this might be the most personal option on this list. I love "Up In The Air." It's one of my favorite movies of all time, and I thought it was a masterpiece on a number of levels. I've probably seen it 50 times, and I've taught a movie class on it twice. I'm not objective. Nor am I objective about the fact that "The Hurt Locker" is over rated and "Avatar" is a visual masterpiece with a shallow and cliche story. Those were the tw...

Training Camp in Dove Valley is open, and the pre-season is just weeks away. so now is the time to start looking at this Broncos squad. In a series of pieces I'll be looking at each position group prior to the start of the pre-season. Today I'm looking at the secondary. Players : Chris Harris, Jr., Bradley Roby, Justin Simmons, Darian Stewart, Su'a Cravens, Will Parks, Isaac Yiadom, Brendan Langley, Tremaine Brock, Marcus Rios, Michael Hunter, C.J. Smith, Jamaal Carter, Trey Marshall, Jordan Moore, and Dymonte Thomas. 2018 Outlook: That's a big group, and like all the groups at this stage we know not everyone will make the squad. It's also a group that's most notable for who is missing, namely Aqib Talib. When the Broncos re-made their defense in 2014 and won the Super Bowl in 2015, a lot of it was thanks to the No Fly Zone. It was an incredible secondary with Talib and Harris as shut down corners, and T.J. Ward manning the middle. With Ward gone last se...

When are we going to learn? The biggest trend this year has been gritty action films aimed at older male audiences outpacing their projections. It’s been the most bankable trend in our game, and Box Office Report has been on top of the trend. So while conventional thinking was Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again would top the Box Office, some were more bullish on Equalizer 2 . And, turns out, Equalizer 2 , behind Denzel Washington and a hail of bullets, was the winner at the Box Office. I wasn’t sold on Equalizer 2 being that strong, so I didn’t use it as an anchor and missed the Perfect Cineplex — and Best Value which was also Equalizer 2  — by quite a little bit. I bet on Ant-Man and The Wasp outpacing projections and providing good value, and it did both of those things. The First Purge , which I played, also provided good value. Sicario , however, slipped a lot. So it was a decent performance, but not a winning performance. Remember you can go head-to-head with me each week b...

We're headed to August, and with it comes the end of the summer movie season. That's a a mixed bag. We'll start to see more serious award contender releases in September and we'll move away from the blockbusters that really are a hallmark of the summer. But we still have a few left to enjoy during the Dog Days of Summer in August! Friday, August 3: The Spy Who Dumped Me : This comedy send up of James Bond sees a pair of ladies, played by Mila Kunis and Kate McKinnon, pulled into the world of espionage. It's been an uneven summer for comedies, but this one gives me some hope. Disney's Christopher Robin : Ewan McGreggor takes the lead as an adult Christopher Robin who still needs a little Pooh Bear in his life to point him in the right direction. This looks like a feel good movie for late summer. The Darkest Minds : Based on a YA book, and featuring and adult cast that includes Mandy Moore, this film is an apocalyptic world where some super-powered kids a...

In eras past we wouldn't really have new scripted shows this time of year. But that's not the era we live in. That being said, this is about the slowest flow of new shows as you're gonna get during the year now. It's basically a trickle, and this summer hasn't provided much oomph on the small screen. But I'm here to review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Tuesday Nights: The Outpost, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW (Premiered July 10) About: I went over the fact this show was a confused mess last week. So I don't want to belabor the point again. I watched the second episode and, to me, it didn't get better on any of those points. This is obviously a cheap foreign co-production, and the CW is simply hoping for some summer eyeballs. Maybe it will give them that. And maybe there is a demographic that this series appeals to that will provide an audience. But I did...

“Well, that’ll be a great story. See if these guys can come back or they’ll be exploited on national TV as the worst JUCO in the country.” -Jason Brown, Independence Community College Pirates head coach In 2016, Netflix launched a new documentary series, "Last Chance U." One of the beauties of the Peak TV age, especially with Netflix, is the variety of programming. Stories that might have struggled to find an outlet in eras past are now given a platform. And in "Last Chance U," Netflix found a gem. The documentary series followed East Mississippi Community College, a team with a rich history of dominating the junior college circuit. It was a place that specifically reached out to and recruited kids who had struggled and flamed out in Division 1, giving them a chance to right the ship and put their dream back on track. And for two seasons, that was a rich exploration. It gave you an up close look at what happens on and off the field with these student athlet...

We're just a few weeks from training camp, and about a month away from pre-season. so now is the time to start looking at this Broncos squad. In a series of pieces I'll be looking at each position group prior to the start of the pre-season. Today I'm looking at the defensive line. Players : Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, Domata Peko, DeMarcus Walker, Kyle Peko, Shelby Harris, Clinton McDonald, Zach Kerr, DeShawn Williams, Stansly Maponga, Antonio Simmons, Paul Boyette, Jr., and Caushaud Lyons 2018 Outlook: The Broncos' defensive line was one group that made a big step up in 2017, and that got somewhat lost. Despite it being a poor season overall, the Broncos' defense took a big step forward in containing and, often, dominating the opposing team's running game. That doesn't happen without greatly improved play on the defensive line. But like all positions, injuries began to take a toll as the season wore on. Still, Wolfe, Gotsis and Domata Peko really ste...

Recently I chronicled my favorite Best Picture Winners since 1970. Now, for the next four weeks, I'll be sharing my 10 favorite films that fell short of Best Picture despite being nominees since 1990. 4. Inception (2010) Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ellen Page, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Ken Watanabe, and Cillian Murphy Director: Christopher Nolan About: Nolan is one of the best directors working today, and yet he's rarely even been on the slate at the Academy Awards. When "The Dark Knight" was overlooked it led to outcry that changed the voting rules for Best Picture. A couple years later, "Inception" made it into the field. I thought it was an incredible film, possibly the best film of the year. Another film in that field that didn't win, 'The Social Network," was also on this list. Both ended up losing to "The King's Speech." And eight years later I think we still see "Inception" and ...

We're just a few weeks from training camp, and about a month away from pre-season. so now is the time to start looking at this Broncos squad. In a series of pieces I'll be looking at each position group prior to the start of the pre-season. Today I'm looking at offensive line. Players : Garrett Bolles, Matt Paradis, Ronald Leary, Jared Veldheer, Connor McGovern, Sam Jones, Max Garcia, Menelik Watson, Elijah Wilkinson, Cyrus Kouandjio, J.J. Dielman, Billy Turner, Leon Johnson, Andreas Knappe, Jeremiah Poutasi, and Austin Schlottmann 2018 Outlook : There is perhaps no more important unit on the team than the offensive line. A weakness and struggle with this group the past few years has limited the upside of the offense and, therefore, the team. But there started to be a light at the end of the tunnel last season. Leary brought a strong veteran presence, Paradis continues to be solid in the middle and 2017 First Round pick Bolles showed promise as left tackle. Th...

Well, like so many weeks in this game, last weekend was a mixed bag for me. I suggested Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom could provide good value, and it did, in fact, provide the Best Value. So that felt like a win. There was also a strong showing from Three Identical Strangers on the lower end, a film I used in my Cineplex. However, I thought the modest projections for Skyscraper , the latest from Dwayne Johnson, were wrong. Turns out they were. They were too high. So that didn’t really work out for me. I played a Cineplex of Skyscraper , Jurassic World x2, Sorry to Bother You x3, and Three Identical Strangers x2. It did pretty well. But the winner, and Perfect Cineplex, was Jurassic World x5, Sicario x2 and Uncle Drew . So close, but not close enough. Remember you can go head-to-head with me each week by joining the Fantasy Life App Blog league here . This week the quest for perfection continues as four new films enter the competition. On to this week’s Box Office! ...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. Skyscraper Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Neve Campbell, and Pablo Schreiber Synopsis : Every summer we get a handful of action films that are deep as a puddle. They aren't supposed to be think pieces, or ones that blow you away with plot. They're supposed to hook you, entertain you for 90 to 120 minutes, and leave you feeling glad you got out of the heat for a bit. That's the category to put "Skyscraper," which is blessed with the go-to star for these kind of films, Johnson. He made "San Andreas" a hit. He made "Rampage" work. He made a "Jumanji" sequel one of the biggest hits to end 2017. And he is good in this, too. "Skyscraper" defied expectation for me in not having as much humor. It was also more tense than I expected. (Word to the wise, if, like me, you aren't a fan of heights, there are some tough moments in this film.) But "Skyscraper" is what I exp...

We're in mid-July and the stream of summer premiers is steady. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Tuesday Nights: The Outpost, Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW (Premiered July 10) About: The CW has begun to get into the scripted summer premier game in recent years, often airing cheaper co-productions. "The Outpost" really falls in that category. The show would not last long during the traditional broadcast season, and might not even last long this summer. It's set in a world like ours, but with more magic. It's a middle ages sword and sandal epic, designed around a girl with special powers whose village and family was wiped out by mercenaries and vicious warlords. Now grown, she's seeking revenge. It's a cliche a minute, and not that compelling. The pilot, in fact, was one of the worst I've seen this year. It's hard to image ...

We're just a few weeks from training camp, and about a month away from pre-season. so now is the time to start looking at this Broncos squad. In a series of pieces I'll be looking at each position group prior to the start of the pre-season. Today I'm looking at tight ends. Players : Jake Butt, Jeff Heuerman, Troy Fumagalli, Austin Traylor, Brian Parker, and Matt LaCosse 2018 Outlook : Tight end hasn't been a big part of the Broncos' attack the past few years. In 2017, though the offense as a whole wasn't great, TE was almost absent. A.J. Derby, now in Miami, led the team with 31 targets, grabbing 19 for 224 yards and 2 TDs . Virgil Green, who is now with the Chargers, had 14 receptions for 191 yards and a TD on 22 targets. And that was in starting 16 games. As for TEs still on the team, Heuerman had nine receptions for 142 yards and two TDs on 21 targets and Traylor had eight receptions for 100 yards on 13 targets. But that's not a lot of production. ...

We're just a few weeks from training camp, and about a month away from pre-season. so now is the time to start looking at this Broncos squad. In a series of pieces I'll be looking at each position group prior to the start of the pre-season. Today I'm looking at quarterbacks. Players: Case Keenum, Paxton Lynch, Chad Kelly 2018 Outlook: In years past, this would have been a big area of question mark. In fact, heading into training camp the past two seasons we didn't really know who would be the lead dog in this group. Trevor Siemian won the job out of camp each year, and Paxton Lynch played in both seasons. Neither looked like a surefire franchise quarterback. And after watching middling play cost the Broncos a shot at the playoffs in 2016, and watching it crush the team at times in 2017, John Elway decided no more. So when Free Agency opened, he opened the Broncos' checkbook for Keenum, who led the Vikings to the NFC Championship Game in 2017. Keenum wasn...

Recently I chronicled my favorite Best Picture Winners since 1970. Now, for the next five weeks, I'll be sharing my 10 favorite films that fell short of Best Picture despite being nominees since 1990. 5. There Will Be Blood (2007) Starring: Daniel Day Lewis, Paul Dano, and Kevin J. O'Connor Director: Paul Thomas Anderson About: Some films on this list are here because they should have won, but didn't. "There Will Be Blood" is on the list because it's a great film that could have won, but happened to be in an incredibly competitive year. In fact, there's a couple fellow nominees that could have been on this list. In 2007, we had a murder's row eligible for Best Picture. "No Country For Old Men" took the top prize, while "There Will Be Blood," "Atonement," "Juno," and "Michael Clayton" filled out the ballot. That's a great group. And "There Will Be Blood" could have been a winner in mos...

Yesterday the Prime Time Emmy Award nominations were announced. The Emmys are always an interesting one for me. The nominations come in the midst of summer, and the ceremony comes in September when I have other things I'm usually focused on (like football and new shows). The Emmy window is also a curiosity. The consideration window runs from June 1 in one year through May 31 the next year. Meaning series that aired last summer, like Season 7 of Game of Thrones, are eligible for the awards in September alongside series that just ended, like Season 2 of Westworld. And so it can be easy to forget about the shows that wowed us last summer and fall, and over look them in favor of the flood of new content we've received since the start of 2018. So the nominations are always somewhat surprising. But, you have to take them (and all award show nominations) for what they're worth. There will be plenty of time to analyze each category, and to make predictions, prior to the show...

The July 4th weekend went about how I expected. Ant-Man and The Wasp was tops at the Box Office, but below projections. And The Incredibles 2 was the best anchor. For much of the weekend, it was THE Best Value, and looked to finish in second place. Instead, when the actuals were released, it dropped just a touch, falling to third place behind Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom , and just behind Sanju as Best Value. So that, as they say, was a bit of a bummer. In addition to betting three screens of The Incredibles 2 , I went with three screens of Sicario: Day of the Soldado  — which had been Best Value and the best anchor the previous week. But Sicario didn’t hold us as well in week two in release. So I missed the Best Value by a hair, and I missed the Perfect Cineplex — which was The Incredibles 2 x4, Ocean’s 8 and Sanju x3. It was a difference of $20 million with bonuses. But I’m right in the ball park at least! And you can go head-to-head with me each week by joining ...

Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week. Ant-Man and The Wasp Starring: Paul Rudd, Evangeline Lilly, Michael Douglas, Michelle Pfeiffer, Hannah John-Kamen, Laurence Fishburne, Michael Pena, and Walton Goggins Synopsis : If you're a long-time reader of my pop culture takes, especially on movies, then you know that "Ant-Man," the 2015 film where Paul Rudd's titular hero was introduced, was not my favorite. In fact, it's my least favorite film in the modern Marvel Cinematic Universe. And it was weird to me, too, because I like Rudd as a performer and had thought the concept would be fun. That film, for me, wasn't fun. I thought it was a creative miss. So I was a little apprehensive going into the follow up. That combined with what I felt was a misfire in "Avengers: Infinity War" had me wondering where this would go. But this film was far richer, and far more entertaining than I'd expected. Rudd is still good, and it felt like he was...

We're in the midst of July, and the flow of new summer shows hit a hiccup with the holiday week. But several more are teed up as July wanes on. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted shows this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Sunday Nights: Sharp Objects, Sundays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered July 8) About: This latest for HBO is a limited series based on the novel from Gillian Flynn. This was her first novel, and the "Gone Girl" author worked on the scripts for this adaptation with showrunner Marti Noxon, which was directed by Jean-Marc Vallee, the man who did "Big Little Lies" last year. And clearly HBO would like this to have the same kind of impact and run as "Big Little Lies" did. And it certainly boasts the cast for it, with Amy Adams in the lead and Patricia Clarkson part of the ensemble. The pilot introduces the characters and the world, and to say it's dark and d...

We're just a few weeks from training camp, and about a month away from pre-season. so now is the time to start looking at this Broncos squad. In a series of pieces I'll be looking at each position group prior to the start of the pre-season. Today I'm looking at the Broncos' best unit, Linebackers. Players : Von Miller, Bradley Chubb, Shane Ray, Shaq Barrett, Brandon Marshall, Todd Davis, Zaire Anderson, Josey Jewell, Jeff Holland, Keishawn Bierria, Bo Bower, Joe Jones, and Jerrol Garcia-Williams 2018 Outlook : This is the strongest, and potentially deepest, group for the Broncos. This is also really two groups in one. First is the middle guys, who are tacklers and cover people. Marshall and Davis return as starters, and were a solid pair in 2017. And Anderson returns for depth along with rookies Jewell, who has impressed so far, and Bierria. This seems like a solid core. Then there's the outside power rushers. Miller is the heart and soul of the defense, and ...