Matt's Musings

Last week was an interesting one. While Glass was again atop the Box Office, the smart money seemed to be on The Upside to return better value. And I also thought one of the recent Best Picture Nominees could get a Box Office boost. I bet on Bohemian Rhapsody . Turns out a combo of Glass , The Upside and Green Book , which captured Best Value, was the way to go. It was the Perfect Cineplex and the Most Popular Cineplex. So that was a blow to my season standings. But if last week was tricky to guess, it’s nothing compared to this Super Bowl weekend. Whether you liked the outcome of the championship games or not, or whether you even like football or not, you’re likely watching TV Sunday afternoon and evening. With much of the country enduring rough weather, followed by the big game on Sunday, the Box Office projections aren’t what you’d call robust. But then again, neither are your options. There’s only one new release, and it doesn’t scream must see. That means a lot of ...

Winter is here. In the last week I've endured a blizzard and a freak snow storm. But that's nothing compared to the mid-west. Thankfully we have a fire storm of new content to help keep us warm and entertained in our homes. In this weekly post I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Monday Nights: I Am the Night, Mondays at 9 p.m. on TNT (Premiered January 28) About: Noir is one of the most common forms of drama, and when it comes to the case of the Black Dahlia, noir is the preferred form of storytelling. That's true of "I Am the Night," a new limited series (six episodes) from director Patty Jenkins and starring Chris Pine. It's based on a true story and connects to the famous, unsolved case. The presence of Jenkins, who directed "Wonder Woman," and Pine gives it a higher profile, too. I am interested to see this one develop. Pilot Grade : C+ Tue...

We've reached February, which is always an interesting month at the movies. There's always a mix of bigger releases, something for Valentine's Day, a few random offerings and of course plenty of Oscar movies at the Cineplex. Let's see what this February holds for us. Friday, February 1: Miss Bala : This was originally set for January but slid back a week. It stars Gina Rodriguez and feels like one that will flame out rather quickly in theaters. But releasing here will give it a bit more profile. Friday, February 8: The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part: This is perhaps the biggest release of the month, a sequel to the animated hit that's been five years in the making. I couldn't be more excited. I've actually already seen this one, and it's definitely worth checking out. What Men Want : This gender reversed sequel (or re-imagining) stars Taraji P. Henson and looks like a bit of fun. The trailer is fun and the gender reversal makes this feel like a ...

With the Broncos' coaches mostly in place, it's time to start thinking about the team needs this off-season. I'll be looking at all three phases before we hit free agency. Today I'll consider the defense. 2019 Outlook : The Broncos hired a defensive-minded head coach in Vic Fangio, one who guided the Chicago Bears to an incredible season. He'll call the plays in Denver, and that bodes well for a unit that has been the team's strength for the past five year. Additionally, he brought in Ed Donatell, who was with him in Chicago, and kept some of the Broncos' best position coaches. All this should provide reason for excitement for the Broncos. And we have a strong core. Von Miller remains, to me, the best pass rusher in football. Seeing how he used Khalil Mack in Chicago, both Miller and Broncos fans have to be pumped. In addition, the Broncos have second-year man Bradley Chubb on the other side, a guy who was a force last season, and young, promising rushe...

Eight films have been nominated for Best Picture this year. I will be taking a look at each of the nominees leading up to the big awards on February 24. BlacKkKlansman Starring: John David Washington, Adam Driver, Topher Grace, and Ryan Eggold Directed By: Spike Lee Total Nominations: 6 Nominated For: Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor (Driver), Best Director (Lee), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film Editing, Best Original Score About: This film was released during the summer to strong reviews, and that's carried over to award season. The film was recognized at the Golden Globes, has been recognized by many other awards and critic associations, and ended up with six Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. Lee was also recognized for his work on the film, directing and co-writing. And Driver was the sole actor recognized for the film. But what is the best chance for this movie to win at least one Oscar? Well, that's an interesting question. I don't think ...

The Academy Award nominations were announced on Tuesday morning and we've had a few days to think about them and those who missed the cut. Below are my disappointments among this year's nominations. * Won't You Be My Neighbor. If you're a regular reader of this column, you know how much this film impacted me. In fact, from the moment I saw it there was little doubt that it would be my top pick for 2018. And even last week I wondered if it might get into the Best Picture competition. At the least, I figured it was a lock for the documentary competition. Boy was I wrong. I enjoyed "RBG" and "Minding the Gap" was interesting. I've heard good things about "Free Solo," too, but "Won't You Be My Neighbor" being completely left out is ridiculous. It was not only great, but one of the most high profile entries in the medium. This is probably one of the biggest gaffs in recent memory. * A Quiet Place. It got technical nomi...

Last week was a rough one at the Box Office. Glass was the big new release, and was split into daily scoring. I noted that Fantasy Movie League was the highest in projections, making me weary, and that turned out to be wise. Glass underperformed all projections, and wasn’t a good value in the Cineplex. I thought The Upside looked like a potential value, and used it as an anchor across three screens. It was the right anchor, and performed well. But the Perfect Cineplex had The Upside on two screens and the Best Performer, Dragon Super Ball: Broly , across the other six. So I missed the mark, in part because I don’t know enough about Dragon Super Ball with made almost $12 million last week. This week there are only two new entry into the game, and neither is projected to be anything special. In fact, Glass is again projected at the top of the Box Office. But is it the best option for your Cineplex? That remains to be seen. As always, if you think you’re better at the game ...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. Brexit Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch and Rory Kinnear Synopsis: This is the first of the new HBO films this year, this one centering on the campaign that led to the English vote to leave the European Union. Cumberbatch is the most famous actor in the piece, and he plays the lead strategist behind the leave movement. It shows how he got to the voters and got them to vote for his cause through a campaign of misinformation and rhetoric. It also shows that he feels conflicted about the results and what it exposed about the country. For a biopic, and a political one about events not in this country at that, this film moves along well. It's not overly long and it helps frame the story by focusing on a couple key characters. The performances are solid, too, as you'd expect. And by the end it becomes clear that, though focusing on England, it's meant to be a reflection of the issues that were exposed in the election of 2...

We're in the heart of winter, in fact I'm enjoying a blizzard this morning, and we're also getting a blizzard of new content. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Monday Nights: The Passage, Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 14) About: This latest show on FOX is based on a series of books and has a sort of vampire twist. At the heart of this part, however, is the relationship between an agent (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and a young girl targeted for an experiment (Saniyya Sidney). That's still the part about it that works the best. That being said, I wasn't all that taken with the pilot, and I wasn't taken with the second episode, either. There are parts of it that work, but much of it is a little dull. And I'm not really taken with the ongoing mystery, which makes it tough to connect. This show is OK, but doesn't feel like a...

Holiday weekends are a great time to catch up on some movies. And that's what I did. We are less than a day from Academy Award nominations being announced, and now we're getting a chance to see some of the films competing. I checked out those and a few others. Here's my thoughts. Den of Thieves Starring: Gerard Butler, Pablo Schreiber, 50 Cent, and O'Shea Jackson, Jr. Synopsis: This was one of the hottest films of the early part of 2018, dominating the Box Office when it was released and besting projections. There's a simple reason for that—heist movies are insanely popular. I won't waste a lot of time diving into the plot here. Suffice to say this is a little grungier and more violent version of "Heat," as we follow a task force from the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department and a group of thieves. And it plays out pretty much as you'd expect. Butler plays the role of lead dog for the cops, and has issues at home stemming from his approach...

With the Broncos' coaches mostly in place, it's time to start thinking about the team needs this off-season. I'll be looking at all three phases before we hit free agency, starting with the Special Teams. 2019 Outlook: This is the only major unit on the Broncos with coaching continuity heading into 2019, as coordinator Tom McMahon is returning. And that's a good thing as the Broncos' Special Teams took a step forward last season. Brandon McManus is under contract and returning, and looked decent in 2018. Colby Wadman is under contract, too, and he looked solid as an inexpensive punting option. That feels like a decent place to start for the Broncos, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to risk big money on a punter as we did last off-season. If it doesn't pan out, it can really hurt. 2019 Need: We need a dynamic returner. We have for a while. At times we've had some interesting options, including drafting Isaiah McKenzie, who was dynamic at times b...

The nominations for the 91st Academy Awards will be announced on Tuesday morning. We're firmly in the territory to consider what will be nominated for Best Picture. So, below, is some of my speculation. We'll find out how close it is on Tuesday. Best Picture Locks: * Roma * Bohemian Rhapsody * Green Book About: I think, no matter what, these three will make the final cut. Roma has been sweeping through award and critic lists, and though a foreign film has considerable momentum. I think it's sure to get in the Best Picture race. "Green Book," similarly, has won a number of awards and accolades and seems sure to at least get a Best Picture nomination. "Bohemian Rhapsody" has also done well, and after its Golden Globe win I think it's certain to make the final cut. Whether any of these three actually win is a question to consider later, but I feel pretty sure they will all three make the final field. Good Bets: * The Favourite * A Star is Born...

We've reached the Conference Championship Games. Last week I went 3-1 in picks, failing to realize the Patriots would still have the Chargers' number. I'm now 6-2 this post season with three games left to go. This week the NFC and AFC will be decided as the two two seeds from each conference advanced. These are also the four highest scoring teams in football in 2018, so let's hope we get some better games than last week. But who will win? Time for me to make my fearless predictions. NFC Championship No. 2 Rams at No. 1 Saints About: This is a re-match of a Week 9 meeting that the Saints won 45-35. That game proved the difference in the NFC and is the reason the re-match is again in New Orleans. At the time, it was the Rams' first loss. But they weren't quite as dominant late in the season. Neither were the Saints. Both offenses were held in check at times, but they should be on more equal footing here. The Rams looked great in running all over the Cowboy...

We’ve reached the first long weekend of 2019. Monday is the observance of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday, and that means people will be off from work and school, giving the Box Office an extra day. But we’ll look at all that means in a moment. First we need to talk about last week. Aquaman was supposed to top the Box Office, but I thought The Upside presented potential value and was a better anchor. I paired four screens of that with Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse , and they were the top two films in terms of value. The Upside was, in fact, the Best Value. But the Perfect Cineplex had five of The Upside , one of Vice , and two empty screens. Even with the penalty, the bonuses carried that option to a finish $12 million better than mine. But I was close, and I was on the right track. A few times now the perfect option has included empty screens. That’s always a risk as you take a $2 million penalty for empty screens. I’m usually averse to going that route, but it’s worth...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. On the Basis of Sex Starring: Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston, Kathy Bates, and Stephen Root Synopsis: It's been quite a ride for Ruth Bader Ginsburg of late. The Supreme Court Justice has become something of a star with the tumult in government and thanks to the top 2018 documentary, "RBG." And now comes the biopic of the fight that defined her career, her fight for gender equality. "On the Basis of Sex" begins with Ruth (Jones) as a law school student at Harvard, fighting a male-dominated environment. Then it moves to her trying to find a job and ending up a professor at Rutgers where she could take her own cases, including fighting against laws that discriminate based on gender. That fight is the heart of "On the Basis of Sex," including her landmark case before a Federal Appeals Court in Denver, Co. There by her side all the way was her husband Marty (Hammer), a...

We've reached the ides of January, and the flood of content is upon us. There were a ton of new shows that bowed last week, and a ton more to come. Winter was once a quieter season for new content, but not anymore. In fact, in the Netflix world, there is no quiet time for content. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this winter. (And the "Masked Singer.") Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Monday Nights: The Passage, Mondays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 14) About: When I saw the first trailer for this series during Upfronts, I was drawn to the personal drama between Mark-Paul Gosselaar and the child he was protecting, played by  Saniyya Sidney. I wasn't familiar with the books upon which the series is based, and the initial trailer sort of hid an important plot point. So I was reasonably excited for this one to come, but sort of forgot about it during the Fall since it took a while f...

"It was about the bridge representing progress and the lighthouse feeling like it wasn't going to be needed or wanted." -Cara, "God Friended Me" Progress is a wonderful and necessary thing. I was reading a book about generations, and how the Traditionalists (those born before 1945) moved from the country to the city, building the modern, city-focused country we have today. One of the reasons for that was that they wanted this new invention of indoor plumbing. That's just one reason I feel grateful when I think about progress. We have to progress in our lives, too. For relationships to progress, we have to be on the same page and open our lives up. For us to progress in our work, we have to learn new skills and be honest about what we can do. And to progress in our world, often what existed before has to go away. Those are the themes that are interwoven in last night's episode of "God Friended Me." But at the heart of "Miracle on ...

“I hope you're pleased with yourselves. We could all have been killed - or worse, expelled. Now if you don't mind, I'm going to bed.” -Hermione Granger, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" Prior to recently, I'd never read a "Harry Potter" book. There's a couple reasons. First, I think I've been up front that I usually like to see a film or TV show first, and then go deeper in the story. And second, I never really got caught up in "Harry Potter." By the time it debuted, I was a junior in high school. It wasn't high on my list. Then when I saw the first movie in 2001, I thought it seemed like something of a children's story. It wasn't until the third and fourth film I started to get interested in the world and the ongoing story. Then I tore through all the movies and have a different appreciation for the series. When Binge Mode tackled Harry Potter last summer, it made me curious. So I've decided to go...

I was oh so close to a perfect Wild Card Weekend. The Colts, Chargers and Cowboys had all won, and the Bears were lining up for a field goal that would help them do the same. Then a lineman tipped Cody Parkey's ball, which hit the crossbar, and I was sunk. So I went 3-1 the first weekend, but my quest to keep getting it right continues. And if I end up 10-1 I'm sure I'll spend time thinking about that field goal. But that's a February problem. For now we have the Divisional Round. Three of the four winners the first weekend were lower seeds, but I don't think that's going to be the case this weekend. On to the Picks. Saturday Games No. 6 Colts at No. 1 Chiefs About: The Colts are one of the hottest teams in the NFL Playoffs, and they have a great offense and an up-and-coming defense. That's a good formula for the Chiefs, the top seed in the AFC. The Chiefs have seen their defense get more pieces back, but all season this team has been about the of...