Matt's Musings

I will never forget where I was 10 years ago. It was a Tuesday morning early in my junior year at Biola University, in the heart of Southern California. The phone rang just after 7 a.m. Being a college student with no morning classes, I wasn't really planning on getting up. Neither were my roommates. Groggily, I answered the phone and it was a friend who used to go to school but now lived in San Jose. Breathless he screamed that the United States was being bombed. I could hardly believe it. As I started to come awake, I flipped on the TV. The first thing I saw shocked me, as a plane slammed into the World Trade Center and the towers collapsed. I quickly woke up my roomates and we stared at the screen not knowing what to do. The rest of that morning was chaotic and terrifying. As the details continued to roll in, the destruction was vast. Then the real panic set in. 10 years later, it's easy to forget that, for a few hours following the first attacks, there were a number of plan...

Scandals, suspensions, lightening strikes, and garish new uniforms. That has summed up the start of the College Football Season, which got under way in earnest last weekend. It's a brave new season — one that has yielded more questions than answers so far. For those that enjoy College Football, this doesn't seem like a great time. But as we get into the season, there are a few pressing issues that fans must watch. First, how will scandals — past, present, and future — impact the game? This was not a good summer for College Football fans. Ohio State imploded, with coach Jim Tressel being fired and star Terrell Pryor heading to the Oakland Raiders. The USC Trojans were further sanctioned and Reggie Bush had to give back his Heisman Trophy. Then there was the Miami Hurricanes, who still don't know the extent to which they'll be punished. Of course, Oregon and Alabama were also mentioned in scandals, though nothing has thus far been proven. If you add in the scandals of a y...

One of the topics that I covered during the End Times course was the theory of the end of the world by pandemic (a virus or health epidemic that wipes out a bulk of the population). Apparently director Steven Soderbergh had the same thought. Arguably Soderbergh's best film was 2000's "Traffic," which was a clinical look at the multi-faceted problems associated with the drug war. In many ways it was a detached film — featuring story lines that were potentially emotional but the film tried to offer a balanced look that really explained why the war on drugs is unwinable. I would argue that "The Wire" did the same thing, only more complex and better, but "Traffic" is one of those movies that is probably underrated. Soderbergh — who has spent years making ecclectic independent films interspursed with "Ocean's 11" sequels — returns to that style of filmmaking with "Contagion." The film follows the path of a virus, which jumps from...

Here's a look at the underwhelming new releases that began September. Here's hoping for better soon.... Apollo 18 Starring: Warren Christie, Lloyd Owen, and Ryan Robbins Synopsis: This is one of those discovered footage films that have become all the rage. Back in 1999, it seemed like a novel concept when “The Blair Witch Project” took this approach. That movie wasn’t great either, but it was a bit ahead of its time. Since then there’s been a myriad of these type of films. “Cloverfield” presented a Godzilla-like story using that footage, while “Paranormal Activity” has spawned two sequels (the second due out in October). “Apollo 18” follows that model, supposedly offering up footage of a secret mission to the moon that ended badly and explains why we haven’t been back. The film features relatively unknown actors (the most recognizable probably being Christie who stars in the SyFy drama “Alphas”), a basic plot, and some shaky camera work. The film is stylized to look older — as ...

"My great-grandfather’s great-grandfather was Dr. Josiah Bartlett, who was the New Hampshire delegate to the second Continental Congress, the one that sat in session in Philadelphia in the summer of 1776 and announced to the world that we were no longer subjects of King George III, but rather a self-governing people. "We hold these truths to be self-evident," they said, "that all men are created equal." Strange as it may seem, that was the first time in history that anyone had ever bothered to write that down. Decisions are made by those who show up." — President Josiah Bartlet, "The West Wing" That quote always makes me think. One of the things I always loved about "The West Wing" is the reverence it had for the best of what makes America unique. I didn't always agree with the politics, but I loved the way the characters entered the political fray. It gave me a kind of false hope about the nobility of our form of governance, and th...

I have never really been a fan of the AMC show "Mad Men." I've tried to watch it a few times, and I just didn't get sucked in. So when I read the reviews talking about "The Hour," a new series from the BBC, that called it the British version of "Mad Men," I was less than excited. But after a few people told me it was incredible, I decided to give the series a look. (It is currently airing on BBC America). And, it truly is nothing like "Mad Men." First off, the show is set in the 1950s and incorporated a season-long mystery that unraveled (the season is only six episodes, so that wasn't much of a stretch). In addition, it's set behind the scenes at a news program — somewhat like a 60 Minutes or the show Hear It Now, featured in the film "Good Night and Good Luck." In fact, in terms of tone, "The Hour" is quite similar to "Good Night and Good Luck." One of the things that I was most drawn to in terms of...

It's Labor Day, and even though there aren't any meaningful NFL games one today, I am making meaningful (or meaningfully bad) picks for the upcoming season. Yesterday I took a look at the NFC, and today it's the AFC. AFC South: This is a tough division. The Indianapolis Colts have long been the class of the division, but with Peyton Manning's health a question and the team continuing to age, I think they've fallen back to earth. Jacksonville is also an enigma. Maurice Jones-Drew can be a good player, but they don't have enough around him. They will be hovering around .500 again. Then there's the Tennessee Titans, who have Chris Johnson and not much else. New coach, and somewhat of a rebuilding project, I just don't see it. That leaves the Houston Texans. I think they'll be better and this is the year they're finally good enough to win the division. AFC East: This feels like a two-team race between the New York Jets and the New England Patriots. T...