Matt's Musings

Here's a look at the new releases I've seen this week. Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps Starring: Michael Douglas, Shia LeBeouf, Josh Brolin, Eli Wallach, Frank Langella, and Carey Mulligan. Synopsis: This is similar to the original "Wall Street" and different at the same time. Instead of being an indictment on the greed of the 1980s, this one is more of a cautionary tale about the over speculation that caused the collapse of the financial markets in the current economy. In other words, it hits too close to home and its too depressing to watch considering that we are still in the midst of it. Additionally, it's tough to get a feel for what the filmmakers want to do with the famous Gordon Gekko (Douglas) character. Gekko sometimes preaches caution and advises that the markets are on the brink of collapse — which we all know happened — sometimes he seems like a power broker, sometimes he seems interested in reuniting with his estranged daughter Winnie (Mulligan), som...

I have had a chance to participate in "The Truth Project," a 12-week video series from Focus on the Family. It has been an interesting exploration of the values of our world, our sphere of government, and how that all compares to the Bible. Tonight is the final installment of the Truth Project, which is a call to take what we've learned and apply it to our world. I haven't always agreed with everything that's been said, but I feel like I have grown through considering different issues. I especially appreciated last week's session on labor, and what the series had to say about taking our talents into the world and living out our faith while in the working world. The mission of Biola University, where I received my undergraduate degree, was to train Christians to enter the workforce. They weren't training us to be Christian accountants, reporters, teachers, or psychologists. The university sought to train us to be accountants, reporters, teachers, or psychol...

I finally saw the pilot for "Detroit 187," which airs its second episode tonight. I thought I would offer a late grade/review for those thinking about tuning in. Detroit 187 (C) — This show tries too hard to be gritty. Of course, it's hard to judge too harshly as the original premise for the show — a documentary crew follows homicide detectives in Detroit — had to be scrapped due to a real life incident. The pilot obviously bears the marks of the original premise, so it will be interesting to see how it changes. This show wants to be a more serious, gritty police drama. That fits with Detroit, one of the most economically depressed major cities in the United States. There were elements of the pilot that worked well, and the premise has potential. But the first case(s) were too obvious and I felt like the show was trying too hard to be edgy most of the time. You either are a gritty crime drama or you aren't, it can't be forced. Michael Imperioli is working pretty h...

Yesterday we looked at the model for prayer offered by David in Psalm 3 as part of our look up series. It reminded me of a book I read earlier this year about the models of prayer offered by figures in the Bible and how it compares with the way we're taught to pray now. Prayer should be a worshipful, reverent experience, but sometimes I wonder if we put too much emphasis, culturally, on the way people pray. I think Israel really touched on that yesterday. When I was reading this book on prayer earlier this year I was struck by what it said about the depictions of prophets, key Biblical figures, and even Jesus when they prayed in the Bible. Often, now, we think about bowing our head, closing our eyes, and praying quietly to the Lord. While those are all signs of respect and may fit the desire of some when they pray, that isn't the only way to pray. Often people in the Bible looked up, they cried out to the Lord, and they were very demonstrative in their prayers. We don't thi...

It's still early in the planning stages, but I am working on a list for a second go-round of the Faith in Film class. Attached is a look at the preliminary class list. Several of the weeks were selected based on the feedback I received from those who attended the first class. I want to thank everyone for their support and am excited to hear any new feedback on the potential list included. The only repeat is "Superman Returns," a favorite from the first session, which will be slightly altered and used as a kick-off for this new series. Check out the list and let me know what you think. Once a list is finalized and a date selected, I will announce it on this Website. Week 1: “Superman Returns.” Biblical Concept: A Secular Messiah Week 2: “Bruce Almighty” Biblical Concept: Playing God Week 3: “The Invention of Lying.” Biblical Concept: Dealing with the idea of God. Week 4: Screening “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.” Week 5: “Narnia” vs. “Lord of the Rings” Biblical Co...

As I mentioned on Thursday, today I'm going to give you my grades for the new pilots I've seen. Next Saturday, I'll pick up any additional pilots I've seen as well as second episode grades for any I decided to check out more than once. Instead of using the star system — which I use for movies — these pilots will be getting letter grades. A+ is the best, F- is the worst. There are none of either... I'll arrange the shows by the day of the week they air. Sundays: Boardwalk Empire (A-) — This show, which airs on HBO, is about gangsters in the 1920s. According to critics I've heard, the show only gets better after the pilot episode. The pilot set the tone and introduced the characters, but there were some stylistic choices (probably because it's on HBO) that made me a little uncomfortable. Still, it was a good pilot and I have hope it will be a good series. Mondays: Lone Star (C) — This show, which airs on FOX, might be the first show cancelled in 2010. It's...

Spy films have always been a popular genre. The fact we've had more than 20 James Bond films should be proof of that, then there's the Bourne series, "Mr. and Mrs. Smith," "Salt," "The Good Shepherd," and a host of others to choose from over recent years. But spies have also found a home on the small screen. Since the turn of the century, we've had "Alias" and "The Agency" come and go, but right now did you know there are five spy shows on the air right now? The oldest of the current spy shows is "Burn Notice," which just finished its fourth summer season. The show, which airs on USA, features a burned spy and his friends who run secret missions in Miami and help those oppressed by villains. Next comes "Chuck," a comedy action show featuring an ordinary man that gets drawn into the spy game, working with a CIA handler and an NSA agent. Then this summer, USA added another spy drama — "Covert Affairs...