Matt's Musings

Over the next 25 weeks I'll be rolling out my favorite films of the last decade. This is, as all lists of this kind, personal selections. Agree, disagree, make a comment and share your thoughts! No. 24 The Cabin in the Woods (2011) Starring: Chris Hemsworth, Jesse Williams, Fran Kranz, Kristen Connolly, Bradley Whitford, Anna Hutchison, Richard Jenkins, and Amy Acker Director : Drew Goddard Academy Award Nominations : 0 Academy Award Wins: 0 About : I love horror movies, always have. In college I wrote a term paper about the evolution of slasher films. Well it's fair to say I've never seen one like "The Cabin in the Woods," which comes from Joss Whedon and Goddard. It has all the trappings of a traditional horror film, and as it starts that seems like what it's going to be. But there's a twist in this film, which I won't ruin if you haven't seen this film and still want to check it out, that adds a whole new layer. Those familiar with Whedon...

The third week of the XFL didn’t disappoint. The Houston Roughnecks continued to shine, the LA Wildcats stunned the league by finally looking like a force and blowing out the previously unbeaten D.C. Defenders, and we saw our first kick return for a touchdown! As we head into Week 4, we’re seeing how the race for the playoffs is coming into shape. But first, let’s quickly recap Week 3. Week 3 Recap Saturday’s Games: Houston Roughnecks 34, Tampa Bay Vipers 27 About: This was a heck of a game. The Roughnecks are the favorites right now, moving to 3–0 on the season. But the Vipers wouldn’t go down easy. They came in 0–2 and really wanted that first win. The Vipers were a pre-season favorite, and their offense finally delivered some points. But it wasn’t enough. Meanwhile P.J. Walker threw for 306 yards and three TDs, adding another rushing. He looks like a potential league MVP. And Cam Philips is looking explosive. Player of the Game: Philips caught eight passes for 194 yard...

February has been an interesting month. Last week Sonic figured to sit atop the Box Office, and it did. But Call of the Wild outpaced projections and turned out to be the Best Value. Now this week we get The Invisible Man in the mix, and it will again be a challenge to find value and program the right upside. But more on that in a bit. Last week I thought Birds of Prey would be strong enough as an anchor and that Brahams: The Boy II , despite being a movie I had no interest in, would be a potential value. So I loaded up. And Brahms did do well versus it’s projections, coming in second behind Call of the Wild . But, naturally, I missed by quite a bit because of the bonuses. Not my best work. Let’s hope this week is better. There are three new films in the game, and one is even projected to top the Box Office as February ends. Let’s find the winning combination. As always, if you think you’re better at the game than me, I encourage you to join me in a Fantasy Life App Blog ...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. Sonic The Hedgehog Starring: Ben Schwartz, James Marsden, Tika Sumpter, and Jim Carrey Synopsis: I remember playing Sonic for hours as a kid. It was the premier game for Sega, and was a whole lot of fun. In the same way that the new emulators of these classic video games systems are meant to stir nostalgia in folks like me of a certain age, I would wager the makers of "Sonic The Hedgehog" were hoping that would boost the audience. It also is aimed at reaching kids, and introducing a whole new crew to this speedy blue marvel. And from the first couple weekends at the Box Office, that seems to have worked. But is it a good and enduring movie? It is most certainly not. I didn't have super high expectations for the film, but I was hoping it would be entertaining. For me, this felt like a chore. It's just 99 minutes, but it felt much longer at times. Marsden and Sumpter are fine actors, but it's tough to act a...

We're near the end of February, but that doesn't mean the new shows are ending or even slowing. Spring is one of the busiest times on the television landscape, and this February, March and April appear to be no different. But what's worth watching and investing in? Well, the answer to that is it can be tough out there, but let these weekly posts be your guide. I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted, and some unscripted, shows this winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Tuesday Nights: For Life, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on ABC (Premiered February 11) About: I wanted to like this as the idea seemed novel. It's about a prisoner locked away for a murder for life who claims innocence and decides to do something about it. He becomes a lawyer and fights his own case, as well as those of fellow prisoners. And it's based on a true story. But the first two episodes were dull. There were meant to be sweeping moments, but I just cou...

NFL Free Agency begins in about a month, but before that, it's time to preview a bit of what the Broncos are facing and what could happen when the free agency period begins. Today I'm looking at the defensive free agents from the Broncos. Team Option: Von Miller, OLB Todd Davis, ILB Exclusive Rights Free Agent: Trey Marshall, S Davontae Harris, CB Restricted Free Agent : Joe Jones, LB Joel Heath, DT Mike Purcell, DE DeVante Bausby, CB Unrestricted Free Agents: Dymonte Thomas, S Will Parks, S Justin Simmons, S Chris Harris, Jr., CB Cyrus Jones, CB Derek Wolfe, DE Adam Gotsis, DE Shelby Harris, DT Corey Nelson, LB Dadi Nicolas, LB Jeremiah Attaochu, LB Who Won't Be Back: The Broncos' defense has a lot of pieces that are entering the free agent process, including some big names. But not all of them can come back. And there are a few I'm torn on whether they belong here or in the "Could Go Either Way" category, so I'll hedge my bets some. Howe...

This year I've been going through a new book, "The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers." Written by Amy Hollingsworth, a minister and friend of Fred Rogers, it chronicles nine simple lessons she learned about faith from him. I've read it through a couple times, and have been looking at it with my Sunday School Group. Over the next few weeks, I'll be offering short reflections on what I've learned from each segment. The second Toast Stick of faith is "A Presence Transformed by Prayer." And I think prayer, and a rich life of prayer, is both the most important and most difficult thing for us to get to as Christians most of the time. And reading about the example of prayer offered by Fred Rogers was equally humbling. He once exhorted Amy, "When I asked for your prayers, I didn't mean to be vague about the need." Indeed, Fred Rogers didn't just pray for his friends, he prayed for the specific needs of everyone on his list. And I know what ...

Over the next 25 weeks I'll be rolling out my favorite films of the last decade. This is, as all lists of this kind, personal selections. Agree, disagree, make a comment and share your thoughts! No. 25 Tree of Life (2011) Starring: Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, and Jessica Chastain Director: Terrence Malick Academy Award Nominations: 3 Academy Award Wins: 0 About: This is probably the film on the list I struggled the most with. It's a personal list of films I loved in the decade, and I would never have classified "Tree of Life" as a film I love. Yet it's one I've seen many times, and one that's stuck with me for years. I've taught the film, and I've thought of it often. And ultimately, when it came time to make this list, it felt wrong not to have it as a part of the collection. So here it sits, No. 25. The film was polarizing when it was released. Reportedly at the Cannes film festival, where it debuted, half the audience gave it a standing ovati...

Week 2 of the XFL saw a trio of interesting games, as well as some firsts. We saw our first double forward pass, successfully completed by the Defenders. And we saw our first three-point conversion, completed by the L.A. Wildcats in a losing effort. We also saw a couple of teams take steps toward being front-runners, as the D.C. Defenders are undefeated atop the East and the Houston Roughnecks are undefeated atop the West. As we move into Week 3, we’ll see more of the playoff race start to take shape. But more on that in a bit. First, let’s take a look at the Week 2 games. Week 2 Recap Saturday’s Games: D.C. Defenders 27, New York Guardians 0 About: I thought this would be the Game of the Week, instead it was the least interesting of the weekend. The Defenders picked up right where they left off in Week 1, with the offense moving well under Cardale Jones and the defense making big plays. The Guardians, meanwhile, didn’t look as stout on defense as they did against the V...

President’s Day Weekend saw four new wide releases, but really it was only Sonic that proved a hit at the Box Office. By contrast, this weekend offers fewer new options, and little appeal as Sonic figures to continue his Box Office reign. But more on that in a minute. Last week I thought Sonic was the clear anchor choice, and that proved to be true. I thought it even had a shot at being the value, and it finished third in that respect. But I bet on Downhill to best its projections, which it did, but that didn’t pan out. Instead, Parasite got that Best Picture winner bump and was the Best Value. So the Perfect Cineplex paired seven screens of Parasite , rather than the seven screens of Downhill I went with. This week there are two new wide releases, but it’s the hedgehog that figures to sit atop the Box Office again. So where’s the value? Let’s investigate. As always, if you think you’re better at the game than me, I encourage you to join me in a Fantasy Life App Blog l...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. Downhill Starring: Will Ferrell, Julia Louis Dreyfuss, Miranda Otto, and Zach Woods Synopsis: This film purports to be a comedy. And I guess there are some amusing moments and situations. But, for the most part, its the dramatic moments this film wants to focus on. And then, near the end, the film seems to back off and leave us in a curious place. In fact, the closing scene could be interpreted in a number of ways, but it's unclear what precisely the film wants you to take away. Then again, what came before that wasn't great enough to really care. The film centers on a couple (Dreyfuss and Ferrell) who take their two kids to the Alps for vacation. Ferrell's character is still mourning the loss of his father, but they seem to have a somewhat strong relationship. Then an incident occurs and the disparate reactions of their characters, plus the less than frank discussions afterwards, create a rift. A visit from a frie...

President's Day Weekend was packed with new shows, but there are still others coming as we transition into March and April. Let these weekly posts be your guide as I review new scripted (and select unscripted) series this winter. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks! Monday Nights: McMillions, Mondays at 10 p.m. on HBO (Premiered February 3) About: This latest docuseries focuses on the plot to defraud McDonald's during the Monopoly Game. It includes interviews with FBI Agents, folks from McDonald's, the criminals and family members, laying out this long con. I like the documentary series angle, and this one presents an interesting case. It's only six episodes, but that might be more than is needed. We'll see. For now, it's interesting enough to dive in. Pilot Grade : B- Second Episode : C Tuesday Nights: Cherish The Day, Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on OWN (Premiered February 11) About: This new romantic anthology series comes from Ava Du...

NFL Free Agency begins in about a month, but before that, it's time to preview a bit of what the Broncos are facing and what could happen when the free agency period begins. Today I'm looking at the offensive free agents from the Broncos. Team Option: Kicker, Brandon McManus Guard, Ron Leary Exclusive Rights Free Agent: Wide Receiver, Diontae Spencer Tackle, Jake Rodgers Restricted Free Agents: Right Tackle, Elijah Wilkinson Quarterback, Brandon Allen Wide Receiver, Tim Patrick Unrestricted Free Agents: Running Back, Theo Riddick Running Back, Devontae Booker Center, Connor McGovern Long Snapper, Casey Kreiter Who Won't Be Back: I think there are a few easy targets on this list. I think the Broncos will let Leary go. He's got a big price tag, is an aging veteran and hasn't really been a good fit the past two years. That's a place to save cash, and I think the Broncos will. I also think that Riddick and Booker will be allowed to walk. Ridd...

This year I've been going through a new book, "The Simple Faith of Mr. Rogers." Written by Amy Hollingsworth, a minister and friend of Fred Rogers, it chronicles nine simple lessons she learned about faith from him. I've read it through a couple times, and have been looking at it with my Sunday School Group. Over the next few weeks, I'll be offering short reflections on what I've learned from each segment. The book is divided into "Toast Sticks," a nod to a treat a young Fred enjoyed, and one that first conveyed deep meaning in his life. The first three are about things to help your soul, the second three about the way you see the world, and the final three about putting that into practice. This first Toast Stick is about "The Importance of Taking Time; The Importance of Silence." Fred once said, "for me, being quiet and slow is being myself, and that is my gift." Among the gifts he shared through his show was the idea that...

As we moved into 2020, we move into a new decade. It's fitting at markers such as that to look back at the events, people and pop culture landmarks that stood out from that period of time. For me, that means looking at films. Some released their list of the best films in December as the decade turned over, but I wanted to wait a bit. The films of 2019—including those released at the end of the year—are part of the discussion. And so the first bit of the year, I've been thinking about my own list. If you wanted to get a list of the 10 films that the industry called the best, you could turn to the Best Picture winners. That is considered the standard for films. Below are the 10 winners from the last decade. 2010: The King's Speech 2011: The Artist 2012: Argo 2013: 12 Years A Slave 2014: Birdman 2015: Spotlight 2016: Moonlight 2017: The Shape of Water 2018: Green Book 2019: Parasite When you look at that list, you see some fine and compelling fi...

The opening weekend of the new XFL is in the books and, as Larry David might say, it was “pretty, pretty, pretty good.” In my preview last week I suggested this league seemed more fully formed and ready for Prime Time than the AAF, and we saw that in Week 1. There were four games, and all of them were interesting. Many enjoyed the XFL’s take on kickoffs and extra points. I liked the inside the game access with immediate sideline interviews, live audio from coaches calling plays, and a replay official whose process you got to see up close and personal. The XFL wants to provide good football, yes, but they also want to provide a good fan experience. And as someone who watched at least a half of all four games, I felt that. And there are still more things to look forward to. There were no overtime games, and no one I saw attempted a three-point conversion. There are nine more regular season weeks, and I have to suspect we’ll get to see both of those at some point. Maybe even in...

We’ve reached President’s Day Weekend, which coincides with Valentine’s Day tomorrow, making this a big weekend for Hollywood. And to celebrate, there are four new wide releases. But what will create the best value? We’ll explore that more in a minute. First, let’s look back at last week. I thought Birds of Prey , or as it’s been re-named Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey , would be the best anchor. Instead, it massively under-performed. And I thought Jumanji: The Next Level would produce the best value. But I noted Dolittle could fill that role. Dolittle did fill that role, and those that paired it with Bad Boys For Life got more than $87 million. My Cineplex produced just over $60 million. So off a perfect week I fell flat on my face. Let’s hope this week does a wee bit better. This week we’re looking at four-day totals, which adds a new wrinkle. And we have four new films, plus we’re past the Academy Awards so more of the focus is on 2020 films than looking to the past. Wit...

Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week. Harley Quinn: Birds of Prey Starring: Margot Robbie, Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Rosie Perez, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Ella Jay Basco, Chris Messina, and Ewan McGreggor Synopsis: You know you had a rough opening weekend when you really under-perform at the Box Office and then change the name of your film. The original title of the film, i.e. the one it opened with on Friday, was "Birds of Prey (And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)." Granted, that was a mouth full, but I guess the thought is it also confused folks. And that's fair. When you call a film "Birds of Prey," and introducing those characters is a secondary goal at best, it can leave folks wondering. The shame of it is that in the checkered history of D.C. Comic Book adaptations, this one is actually quite entertaining. Robbie's Harley Quinn was my favorite part of the 2017 release of "Suicide Squad," and at the time I agi...