Matt's Musings

  The 2022 NFL Season is racing toward us. As we prepare for Training Camp in July, I'm looking at the Broncos' roster position-by-position. Today, I conclude that look with the Secondary. Secondary: Cornerbacks On the Roster : Patrick Surtain II, Ronald Darby, K'Wuan Williams, Essang Bassey, Michael Ojemudia, Faion Hicks, Donnie Lewis, Damarri Mathis, and Ja'Quan McMillian Safeties On the Roster: Justin Simmons, Kareem Jackson, Caden Sterns, Jamar Johnson, P.J. Locke, J.R. Reed, and Delarrin Turner-Yell About: This is another position loaded with talent and potential where some hard cuts will come. The Broncos could keep eight to 10 players here, which seems like a lot until you get right down to it. At corner, it seems three players are locks. Veteran Darby and Williams, who was signed as a free agent this off-season, figure to play key starting roles. Of course, Surtain is the Broncos' best corner, and one of the best in the league, so he's a certain roster l...

  Elvis was the biggest movie to bow this week but due to a bout with COVID, I was housebound. Regardless, I was able to catch a few new streaming films and my take on all of them are listed below! If you’d like to see more of my scores for films and thoughts, feel free to follow me on Letterboxd here . Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe (Paramount+) Starring : Mike Judge, Andrea Savage, Gary Cole, and Nat Faxon Synopsis : Last week Paramount+ offered an original film in Jerry and Marge Go Large that was a delight. This week, they offered a throwback. Beavis and Butt-Head was once a core part of the MTV programming platform, but that was back in the 1990s. They haven’t been a big part of the culture since that time, but Paramount+ continues to reach back to find content to build the streaming service. This film drops the pair back into the late 1990s where they get recruited to go to space. While in space, something goes wrong and Beavis and Butt-Head end up in a worm hole,...

  We’re rapidly moving toward July and in the midst of careening through longer summer days, we’re continuing to get interesting new shows. But when you’re curled up around the air conditioning vent, which show is worth checking out? Let this weekly post be your guide as I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted—and select unscripted—series this summer. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Mondays: Mind Over Murder, Mondays at 10 p.m. on HBO (Premiered June 20) About: HBO has had some success in recent years with documentary series, especially crime documentary series. It’s a mixture of an examination of the crime, investigation and trial, as well as a look at the town, the people, the time period and the play that is being put on to tell the story. A woman in Beatrice, Nebraska died horribly. Six people were convicted of the crime and more than 20 years later, they were freed due to DNA evidence. And yet, several claim they were, in fact, guilt...

  The past few weeks I've looked at my Power Rankings as we sit now. Heading toward Training Camp, I'm offering my first look at my way too early playoff predictions. Today, I start with the NFC. Next Monday, I'll tackle the AFC. NFC Playoffs: 1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (12-5). Tom Brady is back, and the Buccaneers have a solid squad and a decent schedule. I think they win 12 games and end up atop the conference. 2. Los Angeles Rams (12-5). The defending Super Bowl champions are no slouches. They have a strong roster returning. I think the Rams lead out of the NFC West and make the playoffs as a high seed once again. 3. Dallas Cowboys (12-5). I still like the Cowboys' roster. I think the offense will still be strong, and keeping Dan Quinn on defense will help the Cowboys to win the NFC East again.  4. Green Bay Packers (11-6). The Packers' offense took a blow losing Davante Adams. Still, the team has a solid defense and Aaron Rodgers. I think that's enough to he...

  “Dad I love you. I love flying with you. I love flying because of you. But I’ve wanted to be an astronaut at NASA my whole life.” — Kelly Baldwin Sometimes the things we want are just out of our grasp. The third episode of the new season doesn’t feature the big revelations and plot turns that we’ve seen, but it moves the ball forward as we have seen earlier in the season but it puts the focus on these characters and their personal struggles. One of the best aspects of For All Mankind is the way it builds up its characters, and more intimate episodes like this are how the ball moves forward. It begins with Margo (Wrenn Schmidt) and her back-and-forth with Sergei (Piotr Adamcyzk). Their partnership began through mutual respect and admiration, but as we see before the opening credits, she wanted it to be more. We pick up with them at a conference in London in 1984. Then again in 1985 and 1988. Finally, in 1991, their hands nearly clasp, but the moment is missed. As we get to ...

  Welcome to this year's exploration of TV, the Best of the Small Screen. Throughout the year I'll be looking at my favorite shows in four categories: Network Sitcoms, Network Dramas, Cable Series and Streaming Series. We'll cap the exploration with my Top 10 shows of all time regardless of format. Check back each Saturday for another installment in the countdown! Priest : Love Isn’t Something That Weak People Do. Being A Romantic Takes A Hell Of A Lot Of Hope. Fleabag (2016-2019) Starring : Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Sian Clifford, Olivia Coleman, Brett Gelman, and Andrew Scott Favorite Episodes : Episode 1.06; Episode 2.01; Episode 2.06 About : Sometimes you need to give a show time. Sometimes you need to revisit something that you gave up on too quickly. The fact that Fleabag is on this list is a testament to that idea. I remember watching the first two episodes and giving up. I figured it wasn't for me. The style was different and it didn't click. Later, I saw Walle...

 In 2022 I'm revisiting my favorite films of all time, doing a countdown of the Top 50 throughout the year. Check back each Friday for the latest installment in the countdown of films, which include releases through 2019. Agree? Disagree? Have a thought on the choice? Be sure to share in the comments below! Rorschach: You see, Doctor, God didn't kill that little girl. Fate didn't butcher her and destiny didn't feed her to those dogs. If God saw what any of us did that night he didn't seem to mind. From then on I knew... God doesn't make the world this way. We do. Watchmen (2009) Starring : Jackie Earle Haley, Malin Akerman, Patrick Wilson, Matthew Goode, and Billy Crudup Director : Zack Snyder About : Watchmen is a true work of art. The graphic novel sits on Time Magazine 's list of the 250 greatest American novels. The story is intense, timely and gripping. And Snyder's adaptation is a very literal and faithful adaptation of the source material. Some ...

  The 2022 NFL Season is drawing achingly close. Training Camp begins in July and as we near that point, I'm looking at the Broncos' roster position-by-position. Today, I continue with my final offensive group, wide receivers. Wide Receivers On the Roste r: Courtland Sutton, Jerry Jeudy, Tim Patrick, K.J. Hamler, Tyrie Cleveland, Seth Williams, Trey Quinn, Kendall Hinton, Travis Fulgham, Kaden Davis, Brandon Johnson, Jalen Virgil and Montrell Washington About : The Broncos' figure to have a stronger offense with Russell Wilson at the helm, which means good things for this receiver group. Sutton and Patrick are the veterans, both signed to long-term deals last season. Jeudy is entering a pivotal third year and figures to be asked to step up, so, too, will Hamler, who's dealt with injuries his first two seasons. But what happens after that point? The Broncos figure to keep six or seven receivers, which means a large group of players competing for a couple spots. Factoring...

  This week was extremely crowded, packed with new releases on nearly every streaming service as well as a big new release in theaters. I had a chance to take it all in, and below are my thoughts on this weekend’s packed slate. If you’d like to see more of my scores for films and thoughts, feel free to follow me on Letterboxd here . Father of the Bride (HBO Max) Starring: Andy Garcia, Gloria Estefan, Adria Arjona, Isabelle Merced, and Diego Boneta Synopsis : The tale of Father of the Bride has been told before, twice in fact. The first time was in 1950, with Spencer Tracey in the lead role. Then, in 1991, Steve Martin stepped into those father of the bride shoes. Now, it’s Andy Garcia’s turn. This new version doesn’t go for the straight comedy approach of the 1991 film, and it’s also no longer about the Banks family. This is a modern update, beginning with the fact Garcia’s Billy Herrera is a proud Cuban American, whose daughter (Arjona) is marrying a man (Boneta) of Mexican ...

  The days are getting longer and hotter, which might have you seeking the cool confines of a living room. If you’re wondering what’s worth diving into as an escape from the summer heat, let this weekly post be your guide as I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted, and select unscripted, series this summer. Don’t see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Mondays: Mind Over Murder, Mondays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered June 20) About : In 1985, six people in the small town of Beatrice, Nebraska were convicted of a brutal rape and murder. Despite the fact five of the suspects confessed, in 2009 all six convictions were overturned thanks to DNA evidence. Even more bizarre, some of those exonerated still maintain their guilt. Now, the town is putting on a play, looking at the case. This docu-series, which will span six episodes, looks at the crime, the investigation, the trial and all that has come in the more than 30 years since the event. The first episode i...

  The past two weeks I've looked at power rankings for each conference, covering NFC first and then AFC. Today, I'm going to offer my combined Power Rankings. Then, for the two following weeks, I'll be offering my Way Too Early playoff picks for each conference. Below, you'll see my feeling that the AFC is the stronger conference this season. Power Rankings: 1. Los Angeles Rams 2. Buffalo Bills 3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4. Los Angeles Chargers 5. Kansas City Chiefs 6. Dallas Cowboys 7. Baltimore Ravens 8. Denver Broncos 9. Cincinnati Bengals 10. Green Bay Packers 11. Indianapolis Colts 12. Minnesota Vikings 13. Tennessee Titans 14. Arizona Cardinals 15. Philadelphia Eagles 16. Cleveland Browns 17. Las Vegas Raiders 18. New England Patriots 19. New Orleans Saints 20. Pittsburgh Steelers 21. San Francisco 49ers 22. Miami Dolphins 23. Detroit Lions 24. New York Jets 25. Washington Commanders 26. Houston Texans 27. Seattle Seahawks 28. Chicago Bears 29. Jacksonville Jaguars 3...

  “You rolled the dice on an idea and it didn’t pan out. So what? Show me somebody who never failed and I’ll show you someone who never took risks.”— Dev Ayesa In every failure, there is a lesson. In every setback there is an opportunity. The spirit of innovation and technology is built on that premise. That’s something that clearly resonates with Dev Ayesa (Edi Gathegi), the cutting-edge businessman who has his sights set on Mars. He also has his sights set on Polaris, pulling in Karen (Shantel VanSanten) for a meeting. He wants to buy her company and hotel—despite its issues—and he’s offering top dollar. Karen, no slouch when it comes to business and dreaming, correctly guesses that Dev wants to go to Mars, he just doesn’t have the ship to get there. But with the purchase of Polaris, he has nearly all he needs to make it a three-team race to the Red Planet. The space race is heating up, and Dev plans to be a part of it, hoping that a private company landing on Mars first will...

  Welcome to this year's exploration of TV, the Best of the Small Screen. Throughout the year I'll be looking at my favorite shows in four categories: Network Sitcoms, Network Dramas, Cable Series and Streaming Series. We'll cap the exploration with my Top 10 shows of all time regardless of format. Check back each Saturday for another installment in the countdown! Marianne:   "I Wasn't Aware That My Eye Line Fell Under The Jurisdiction Of School Rules." Normal People (2020) Starring: Daisy Edgar-Jones and Paul Mescal Favorite Episodes: Episode 1.03; Episode 1.05; Episode 1.10; Episode 1.12 About: The greatest thing about the proliferation of streaming sites has been the rise of the limited series. We've seen them pop up throughout the past few years, some of which are devastating and powerful. On this list, I have a few limited series, the first being Normal People , based on the novel from Sally Rooney. It isn't often something comes along that hoo...

  In 2022 I'm revisiting my favorite films of all time, doing a countdown of the Top 50 throughout the year. Check back each Friday for the latest installment in the countdown of films, which include releases through 2019. Agree? Disagree? Have a thought on the choice? Be sure to share in the comments below! Luke Skywalker : So it is time for the Jedi Order to end. Yoda : Time it is for you to look past a pile of old books, hmm? Luke Skywalker: The sacred Jedi texts? Yoda : Oh, read them, have you? Page-turners they were not. Yes, yes, yes. Wisdom they held, but that library contained nothing that the girl Rey does not already possess. Skywalker, still looking to the horizon. Never here, now, hmm? The need in front of your nose. Luke Skywalker : I was weak. Unwise. Yoda : Lost Ben Solo you did. Lose Rey we must not. Luke Skywalker: I can't be what she needs me to be. Yoda: Heeded my words not, did you? Pass on what you have learned. Strength. Mastery. But weakness, folly, fa...

  The 2022 off-season races ahead and we're just over a month from Training Camp. As we make our way toward Training Camp, I'm looking at the Broncos' roster. This week, that means looking at the Offensive Line. Offensive Line On the Roster : Lloyd Cushenberry, Luke Wattenberg, Ben Braden, Tom Compton, Graham Glasgow, Zach Johnson, Quinn Meinerz, Netane Muti, Dalton Risner, Billy Turner, Sebastian Gutierrez, Michael Niese, Calvin Anderson, Quinn Bailey, Garrett Boles, and Casey Tucker About : Offensive Line is not only a foundational piece of a football team, it's one of the toughest positions to get right. The Broncos are currently carrying 16 lineman on the roster, but when the final cut down comes they will have eight to 10 players. That means this will be one of the biggest and most competitive groups when it comes to Training Camp.  The Broncos have some good talent in this group, too. Boles has developed into a fine tackle, while Risner, Meinerz and Muti figure to...

  We’re into June and the summer blockbusters keep rolling. This week, which includes the latest installment in the Jurassic franchise. Below is my take on that and the other new movies I saw this week. If you’d like to see more of my scores for films and thoughts, feel free to follow me on Letterboxd here . Hustle (Netflix) Starring: Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, and Juancho Hernangomez Synopsis: The new feature for Netflix stars Sandler as an NBA Scout, but this is no comedy. While many of Sandler’s films for the streamer have been comedies, this is a more serious take. This one finds Sandler as Stanley, a former player and long-time scout with ambitions for more. He works for the Philadelphia 76ers and the team’s owner, Rex Merrick (Robert Duvall), takes his opinion seriously. When Rex dies, his son, Vince (Ben Foster), takes the reigns. Instead of putting Stanley on the bench, he sends him out to scout again, telling him he’s got to find the next big thing. Stanley finds B...

  This week was accompanied by a heat wave here in Colorado, certainly making it feel like summer. On those hot afternoons and evenings, it can be tempting to curl up by some air conditioning and find a new show to dive into. But which new show is worth your time? Let this weekly post be your guide as 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. Mondays: Irma Vep, Mondays at 9 p.m. on HBO (Premiered June 6) About : This series is the long-form version of the 1996 film of the same name. Director Oliver Assayas delivered the original film and now this eight-episode re-make. There is even a joke embedded in the second episode about it being a film that runs long. This time Alicia Vikander takes the lead as a disillusioned American actress coming off a broken relationship who is tired of the Hollywood life and takes this smaller challenge remaking a classic French film. Much of the first two epis...