Matt's Musings

1978. Jimmy Carter was President, "Dallas" debuted on TV and "Annie Hall" won the Academy Award for Best Picture. It was also the year that Affirmed won the Triple Crown, becoming the last horse to accomplish the feat. More than 35 years later, horses have come close, but none has won. The latest to dash our hopes on the rocks was California Chrome, which won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness only to finish fifth at today's Belmont Stakes. It was a disappointing blow for horse racing fans, like myself, who'd like to see an elusive Triple Crown in our lifetime. I'm beginning to think it will never happen. To put it into perspective, horse racing has had a Triple Crown for more than a century. In that time, 34 horses have won the first two races. Of those, only 11 have won the Triple Crown. It is a rare feat, and something not seen often. In fact, the current drought is hardly the first in the sport. The first Triple Crown winner was in 1919. There were...

"To see the world, things dangerous to come to, to see behind walls, draw closer, to find each other, and to feel. That is the purpose of life." — Sean's inscription to Walter Mitty, "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty" Henry David Thoreau wrote in a poem, "The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation." Some have morphed that quotation into, Most men lead lives of quiet desperation. Whatever the wording, the meaning is the same. People are dissatisfied and just going through the motions. Though he probably didn't have it tacked to his wall, Walter Mitty could identify with that idea. As portrayed by Ben Stiller in last year's "The Secret Life of Walter Mitty," that quiet desperation led to a vivid imagination — a world of escape where life could be what he always hoped it would be. Because Walter Mitty's life wasn't all that glamorous. Walter had dreams. He dreamed of getting out and seeing the world. But when his father died,...

Here's a look at the new movie I saw this week. The Normal Heart Starring: Mark Ruffalo, Matt Boomer, Jim Parsons, Taylor Kitsch, and Julia Roberts About: HBO has been so strong at developing pay cable TV shows that it's easy to forget they make movies, too. A few times a year HBO releases an original film, and they're usually quality productions. The latest HBO original film was an adaptation of the Larry Kramer play, "The Normal Heart," which debuted on Sunday, May 25 and is continuing to cycle through the network. The play is based in the early 1980s, and is based on Kramer's real life experiences as a gay man at the outset of the AIDS crisis. HBO has frequently tackled films that looked at the AIDS crisis. I remember, as a teen, being fascinated by the movie "And The Band Played On," which followed the doctors that were first trying to understand what was happening. A few years ago HBO won a lot of awards with the adaptation of the play "Ang...

“These guys built a mediocre piece of software that might be worth something someday, and now they live here. Money’s flying all over Silicon Valley, so how come none of it ever hits us?” — Richard, "Silicon Valley" It would be hard to find a better spot to launch your show on HBO than the one "Silicon Valley" got this spring. It was sandwiched between "Game of Thrones" — one of the most popular shows on TV and the highest rated show on HBO — and "VEEP" — HBO's critically acclaimed, and best, comedy. That's the plum spot that "Silicon Valley" — the show about nerds trying to launch a computer start up from Mike Judge — landed. I was amused by the pilot, and I wanted to see where the show would go. "Silicon Valley" wrapped up its first, eight-episode season, on Sunday. Now it's time to see what we've got as we think about where this might go in its already ordered second season. That leads me to the good, the ba...

In these weekly posts I offer my thoughts on new TV shows this summer. I review the pilot and second episode of each new show. If you don't see a new show below, check prior weeks. The heat is on, and the networks are dumping a lot of new shows out there. Tuesday Nights: Riot, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on FOX About: This is a sketch comedy show. It features a pair of celebrity guests each week and four regular cast members. The first episode feature Steve Carell, while episode two featured Cheryl Hines and Jason Alexander. The games are breezy and light, and the laughs come regularly. Everyone on the show seems to be having a good time, and that's key. This is a show that will vary from week to week based on the guests and the chemistry between the groups. I didn't like the second episode as much as the pilot, but it has a lot of potential, as a summer show, to be a bit of fun. It's also got a family-friendly vibe, which isn't always the case in new summer shows. And, comp...

"Turns out, far too much has been written about great men and not nearly enough about morons. Doesn't seem right." — Tyrion Lannister, "Game of Thrones" There have been a lot of big moments in "Game of Thrones." There have been a lot of strong episodes, big plot twists, and jaw-dropping moments. But I think last night's episode might have been one of the most shocking, unexpected, and dark roller coaster rides in the history of the show. So here are some takeaways from the episode. With only two episodes left in the season, who knows where we're going. SPOILERS ahead. 1. Sansa Stark has gone to the dark side. Her tearful recounting of the death of her aunt was compelling and believable, even though I saw what actually happened and knew she was telling tales. She is every bit the liar Littlefinger is, maybe better. It seems that years of torture, doom, and gloom have turned Sansa from a naively sweet girl into someone who knows how to use all he...

"Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will." — Romans 12:1-2 My favorite Bible class in college was Foundations of Christian Thought. It was basically a survey of worldviews, comparing and contrasting what others believe with the truth of the Bible. It was eye-opening, and caused me to think deeply about my worldview. Most Christians, though, don't seem concerned with understanding their own worldview, much less that of others. That was a fascinating truth that was covered in the first part of a new series we started in our Adult Sunday Community. The study concerns defining and exploring our "God-Centered worldview." I love the way the author...