Matt's Musings

"Who Killed Rosie Larsen?" That's the central question in "The Killing." At least it should be. That's the question posed in the marketing materials and was the hook for the AMC crime drama. And when it premiered last spring, most people who saw the show were excited for the journey. Somewhere about the middle of its 13-hour run, it felt like the show was meandering. It wasn't all that great, there were too many red herrings, but at least the killer would be revealed at the end of the season. Except, that didn't happen. The lack of resolution created an outcry, one that didn't disappear quickly. The producers, in all fairness, didn't promise to solve the case at the end of the first season. But they didn't deny that would happen when people assumed — even critics and reporters writing about the show. Now, the producers have promised that the case will be solved at the close of the second 13-hour season (the first two of which aired last ...

"The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!” — Matthew 21:9 Whenever I think of Palm Sunday the triumphal entry, I can't help but think of Superman. Now that's not as crazy as it sounds. Let me explain. You see, to understand it's helpful to know the background of the creation of Superman. Superman is one of the oldest superhero characters in our cultural history. The “Man of Steel” made his debut in June 1938. The character was created six years earlier, in 1932, by writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born artist Joe Shuster in Cleveland, Ohio. Superman also tends to be one of the most deistic of all superheroes. Where as D.C. Comics contemporary Batman was more reflective of the desire within us all to rise up against oppression, Superman satisfied another need — that of a supernatural savior. In some ways that iconography makes sense...

With March quickly fading away, we have just one month before summer films roll into theaters. Here's a look at the major releases coming soon to a theater near you! Friday, April 6: Titanic 3D — (April 4) Here the Best Picture winner from 1997 gets a re-release. This is happening for three reasons. 1 — this year marks the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the ship. 2 — James Cameron has added 3D to this film. 3 — studios never miss a chance to make more money. That being said, while I'm not wild about the 3D re-releases, "Titanic" was a well-made film and there is a certain excitement to it being re-released for the 100th anniversary. American Reunion — The fourth of the "American Pie" films, this one reunites all the favorite players from the original film. This film probably resonates with a certain group of people who are around the same age as the characters. Since the characters graduated from high school the same year I did, it makes me feel old. Th...

"I know what it's like to feel unequal of the task required of you. To feel incapable. I'll never be the man I was, but I've come to embrace those parts of my mind that are peculiar, broken. I understand now, that's what makes my mind special. I wish you could see yourself the way I see you. You have no idea how how extraordinary you are. If you would embrace that, there is no end to what you can do." — Walter Bishop, "Fringe" We live in an interesting time for TV when it comes to thinking about choices, duality, and the road not taken. We all know that life is a series of decisions — some small and some monumental — that all shape the people we are, the path we travel, and how we view the world. Some of the choices are our own, others are choices made by those that have influence in our lives. It is all those choices, both big and small, both our own and those made by others, that help shape the fabric of our lives. But what if different choices wer...

Here's a look at the newest blockbuster film, "The Hunger Games." The Hunger Games Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Josh Hutcherson, Liam Hemsworth, Woody Harelson, Stanley Tucci, Donald Sutherland, Elizabeth Banks, Lenny Kravitz, and Wes Bentley Synopsis: Bloodlust as entertainment is hardly a new concept in human history. The Roman Empire famously led undesirables — slaves, enemies, and Christians — to gruesome deaths on the arena floor, all in the name of entertainment. In the modern era, we have more mainstream forms of bloodsport, such as boxing and ultimate fighting. We have fake combat — such as professional wrestling — and we have the voyeuristic pleasure of unending amounts of reality TV. “The Hunger Games” isn’t the first film to suppose that our desire to mix the two — bloodsport and voyeurism — would eventually change the entertainment landscape. When such ideas were fronted in decades past, it seemed far removed. However, in 2012, given the landscape of our telev...

"I don't consider it much of a risk, knowing Peyton Manning. I asked him, 'Is there any doubt in your mind that you can't get back to the Peyton Manning we know of?' And he said, 'There's no doubt in my mind.'" — John Elway "I'm not where I want to be. I want to be where I was before I was injured. There's a lot of work to do to get where we want to be from a health standpoint." — Peyton Manning. Peyton Manning is the quarterback of the Denver Broncos. As hard as it was for me to write that Tim Tebow is a New York Jet, it's even harder to acknowledge that Manning is the quarterback for the Denver Broncos. As I said on Facebook a week ago, the quarterback I love is with a team I loathe and the quarterback I hate is with the team I love. It is a difficult paradox to consider. But it is a reality. That's where those stages of grief come in, I guess. I am at acceptance, but that doesn't mean that I have to like it or blind...

Tim Tebow is a New York Jet. It's taken me a week to be able to write that without wincing. As most people know, I am a passionate Denver Broncos fan and a passionate Tim Tebow fan. So the events of the last seven days have been a blow. I wanted to write about it a few times, sometimes from a place of anger and sometimes from a place of depression. But I waited. Today and tomorrow, I will look at this event from what I hope is a more mature, rational perspective. Today, it's all about Tebow. I have been a fan of Tebow since his days at Florida. I love the Florida Gators, and I loved watching Tebow play. He won a pair of national championships, a Heisman Trophy, and a ton of games. But that wasn't the only reason I loved him. I loved the way he carried himself and what he stood for. That is a feeling that only grew as I read his book, "Through My Eyes." Tebow is an inspiring example as a Christian. We should all be so lucky as to carry ourselves with that level of ...