Matt's Musings

"If you don't stand for something, you'll fall for anything." That saying has been said a number of times by a number of people. The great preacher Peter Marshall said something similar. Malcolm X, the militant civil rights leader, said it. It was the through line of a recent film, "Sucker Punch." And now it's featured in a song from The Script. I guess there must be something to it. If we don't stand for something — our values, beliefs, those we hold close — we will go with the flow. That is certainly a major concern given our society and our current culture. In fact, the cultural tide would have us flow in whatever direction is popular. That, of course, is not what Jesus tells us. We know we are to "do justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God." (Micah 6:8). But Jesus actually challenges us to be shinning examples in a world where such things aren't popular. In the Sermon on the Mount he says we are salt and light. Being a lig...

Spring has not brought a bountiful selection of new shows. With some more waiting in the wings, here's a look at a few of the new offerings making the rounds. Monday Mornings Mondays at 10 p.m. on TNT About: Dr. Sanjay Gupta is a respected TV doctor. He does well on CNN, and his book is probably pretty interesting. The TV show based on that book — adapted by David E. Kelley — is not. The show wants to be compelling. It wants to be part courtroom drama and part doctor show. But the characters are somewhat insufferable, the tension is more than a little depressing, and the Monday Morning meetings are caustic. I tried three episodes of this show and just couldn't get sucked in by anything but some aspects of the medical cases. If it was summer and there were no other options, I might be willing to stick with this. As it is, I'm not. Grade: C- Zero Hour Thursdays at 8 p.m. on ABC About: Ugh, this was billed as an action thriller in the vein of "National Treasure" and ...

Here's a look at a surprisingly captivating film that rounded out February. Snitch Starring: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Michael K. Williams, Jon Bernthal, Susan Sarandon, Barry Pepper, and Benjamin Bratt Synopsis: There is a tendency to look at a trailer for a film like "Snitch" and assume it will be an action film. After all, the film is marketed to fans of The Rock, who is a great action movie star. But going into "Snitch" and assuming it's going to be an action film would be a mistake. This is a drama — one that wants to look at some hard issues. Sure, there are some action sequences in it, but don't mistake this for a spin-off of the "Fast and Furious" franchise, it isn't. Co-writer/director Ric Roman Waugh was a stunt coordinator, and the action and stunt sequences in the film are done well. But that isn't the point. Waugh and his co-writer, Justin Haythe ("Revolutionary Road," "The Clearing"), want to...

Let's face it, 2013 has been kind of a weak year so far. January was blah and the big releases in February, well, for the most part they fizzled. "Beautiful Creatures" was supposed to be the heir to "Twilight," but  I don't see that happening. "A Good Day to Die Hard" didn't quite have the pop of earlier films, and "Safe Haven" wasn't the most successful Nicholas Sparks adaptation. At least "Identity Thief" made some hey at the Box Office. Well, let's put that behind us because March arrives tomorrow and, with it, the promise of some better films. Or at least the hope of some better films. Friday, March 1: Jack the Giant Slayer — Nicholas Hoult is off to a good year. He was in the excellent "Warm Bodies," one of the better February films, and he kicks off March with this action adventure from director Bryan Singer based on a famous fairy tale. It's got a good cast, good director, and a good trailer. The...

"This guy, Flash Thompson, he probably deserved what happened. But just because you can beat him up doesn't give you the right to. Remember, with great power, comes great responsibility." — Uncle Ben Spider-Man is one of the most familiar and popular characters in the cannon of superheroes. He is popular with kids, teens, and adults — and that was part of what made him unique. This was an integral part of the popularity when the character was first created. It has been said that Peter Parker — the boy behind the mask — exuded "self-obsessions with rejection, inadequacy, and loneliness," which young readers related to. By March 1963, Spider-Man was fast becoming a cultural icon. In a 1965 survey by Esquire Magazine, Spider-Man was named a revolutionary icon alongside Bob Dylan and Che Guevera. That shows the power this story had with young readers. His popularity hasn't waned. Spider-Man is still a featured balloon every Thanksgiving Day in the annual Macy...

Here's a look at the worksheet for tomorrow night's lesson on "Spider-Man." Hope to see you all there! Title: “Spider-Man” (2002) Starring: Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, James Franco, and Willem Dafoe Synopsis: Spider-Man is largely regarded as the crown jewel in the cannon of Marvel Comic properties. The wily web-slinger made his way to the big screen in 2002 with a film directed by Sam Raimi and starring Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. The film was a big hit, spawning two sequels in 2004 and 2007. Five years later, with Maguire and Raimi retired, Spider-Man got new cinematic life in “The Amazing Spider-Man” with Andrew Garfield in the lead role and Marc Webb directing. Once again Spider-Man made a boatload at the Box Office, proving that society still hasn’t gotten enough of Spider-Man stories. And there’s a reason for that — it’s a character, story and a principle that we can all relate with. Peter Parker isn’t a born hero. He’s a high school student whose good...

Let's start with my tally from yesterday — 15/24 — which isn't terrible considering this was a night full of surprises. And, of course, I need to apologize for the gaff of failing to post my picks in the musical categories on my blog yesterday. There were some things we learned last night right after the awards started flying. First, the Academy really had no love for "Lincoln." The film earned the most nominations — 12 — but took home only two awards — production design and Daniel Day Lewis for Best Actor. Most considered Day Lewis a lock, and he's loved by the Academy, so let's set that aside. One for 11? That's not great. While I figured it was on the outs for Best Picture, seeing Spielberg lose and Kushner lose for screenwriting was confirmation that the film had soured among voters. But "Lincoln" wasn't alone. "Zero Dark Thirty," once considered a front-runner, managed just one award — a tie in the sound editing category. Ouch!...