Matt's Musings

This is my final post of the year, and I saved the best of my countdown lists for last. Usually I write a Top 10, Bottom 5 column for the newspaper, and did so this year, but for the Blog I thought I would expand to 15, and 10. This year I finished with 126 trips to the theater, an average of 10.5 per month, and let me tell you — they weren't all gems. This is a list of the movies I liked best and least during the last 12 months. The Top: 15 — Devil This entry, based on a screenplay from M. Night Shymalan, was probably the biggest surprise of the year for me. Shymalan's other film, "The Last Airbender," was poor, and his last film before this year was also marginal. I didn't have high hopes for this, but what I got was a story that really made me think. It has a powerful message about forgiveness that was probably the most unexpected aspect of the film. "Devil," rated PG-13 for violence and disturbing images, thematic material and some language including...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. With no new releases coming out this week, it's a good time to catch up with some award nominees. This could easily be called the award nominee review... Stay tuned to tomorrow's post for my top 10 and bottom 5 films of the year. Black Swan Starring: Natalie Portman, Mila Kunis, Vincent Cassel, and Barbara Hersey Synopsis: This is certainly one of the strangest films of the year. It is well made and well told, but it can be hard to watch. Portman gives an incredible performance in the lead role in this film, and will likely be a front-runner for the Academy Award. This film has some substantial sexual content, and it's nothing if not dark, but director Darren Aronofsky does a great job of putting the film together. This film received a Best Picture nomination from the Golden Globes and will likely receive the same from the Academy Awards. Rating: R for strong sexual content, disturbing violent images, language and some dr...

With the year winding down, I'm recapping my favorite moments, songs, shows, and movies of the year. Today it's a look at my Top 10 favorite shows of 2010. To be eligible, the show simply had to air at some point in 2010. So here's the list in ascending order. 10. LOST, ABC This was the final season for "LOST." Though it wasn't the greatest season, "LOST" went out strong and wrapped up it's story well. Though the narrative didn't always make sense and season six wasn't my favorite — that honor belongs to season 4 — "LOST" still finished as a memorable show. It's too bad that it hasn't received any attention from the Awards shows. 9. House, FOX This hasn't been as strong a season for "House," but with the way it wrapped up last spring and some of the early episodes this year it was still a strong 2010 for "House." Last year's season finale was the best episode in several seasons. 8. The Pacific...

So, it turns out it's really hard to remember what came out in 2010 and what came out in 2009, especially since stuff doesn't catch fire on the radio for a little while. When I first made a list of songs I listened to a lot this year it was different than the list that will appear below. That's when I discovered many of them were 2009 songs, so that seemed like cheating. Anyway, here's the songs released in 2010 I liked the most. 10. Compliments, Band of Horses The new Band of Horses album, "Infinity Arms," isn't as good as some of their older stuff, but I like this single. It was apparently the 18th most played song in my iTunes. It has an interesting message and it's pretty listenable. 9. My Chick Bad, Ludacris Feat. Nicky Minaj I think a lot of Ludacris songs are funny, and this was probably the funniest one of the bunch. His work on the track is alright, but it's Nicky Minaj that pushes it to another level. Not for everyone, but I liked it. 8. ...

With 2010 fading away this week, I have decided to fill my blog with a list of Top 10s, including my favorite songs, TV shows, and, of course, films of the year. Today I'm kicking it off with my favorite moments of 2010. I decided to go in chronological order. January 5, Boise St. upends TCU I didn't have many college bowl games I cared about, in fact with Alabama playing for the title I didn't even watch the National Championship game. But this bowl game between two little schools that were shut out of a run at the year-end title was worth watching. It was fun watching with friends, too, as Boise State kept it's unbeaten streak alive in the Fiesta Bowl, kicking off a year-long run for the NCAA title that came up just short in late November. February 9, The Blog Begins It's hard to believe it's only been 11 months of blogging, but it's been a blast. On Tuesday, February 9 this odyssey began and it's been a blast ever since. February 17, Ash Wednesday Ser...

Today it was fun to get a unique perspective on the Word. I get to spend a lot of time with Katy during the week and I'm always moved by her energy and heart for the Lord, and I think everyone got to see that today as she offered the message. And it was a topic that hit home for me too. I think there are a lot of times in our lives when we question what the plan is for our lives, and whether God is really moving. Sometimes we just have to step out of our tents — as Katy said — and realize how big God is. I have had a few times in my life when I felt like I was locked in on the "one" plan for my life when I got knocked off track. The biggest time was probably as my junior year in college was ending. I had worked for years toward the goal of becoming editor of my college paper. Everything I'd done was in preparation for that path, but it didn't happen. I was devastated and didn't know what I was going to do. I thought about leaving college early, but mostly I wa...

Merry Christmas! After a few whirlwind days, it's hard to believe Christmas Day is here. Of course, it's also funny to think how some traditions changed. When I was little, I used to practically wake up at the crack of dawn on Christmas morning so that I could run out and go through my stocking — always my favorite part of the Christmas experience because that was where the good stuff was hidden. (And the stocking was giant). This year, after getting home a touch after midnight and getting to sleep at about 1:30 a.m., all I wanted to do was sleep until my alarm went off. Welcome to adulthood, I guess... Still, it's good to know that some traditions remain. Perhaps my favorite Christmas tradition is the Christmas Day trip to the theater with my family. It was born when I was in high school and we saw the film "Amistad." Ever since, it's been an annual tradition. Sometimes the movies are good, sometimes not, but it's always a fun part of the day. Of course, ...