Matt's Musings

“Abandon the urge to simplify everything, to look for formulas and easy answers, and to begin to think multidimensionally, to glory in the mystery and paradoxes of life, not to be dismayed by the multitude of causes and consequences that are inherent in each experience -- to appreciate the fact that life is complex.” — M. Scott Peck "The Fall" is a British crime drama that has gone through a slow burn over two seasons and 11 episodes. (All episodes are currently streaming on Netflix). It's ostensibly about a detective, Stella Gibson (Gillian Anderson), and a serial killer, Paul Spector (Jamie Dornan). The two play a game of cat-and-mouse, and you wonder often how it's going to end. But what makes the series great isn't just the performances or the slow burn pace — which are both excellent — it's the fascinating contradictions in the character of the leads. Stella is a cop. She's the hero. She's there to stop the crimes. But she's far from heroic in...

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith." — Hebrews 11:7 Tonight's movie for discussion is "Noah." Directed and co-written by Darren Aronofsky, it was a movie that drew a lot of attention. It drew praise from many evangelicals for its fidelity to Scripture, and also drew criticism from evangelicals for straying from the Biblical account. How can both be true? It drew praise from non-Christians for its epic scope and storytelling. And it drew criticism from non-Christians for being a poorly made film that lacked a compelling narrative and strong visual style. How can both be true? "Noah" is a film of contradictions. It seemed people loved it and some hated it. It was a polarizing film, but it also started a conversation. It's the fact that people were talking about it and — by...

In these weekly posts I take a look at the new shows on TV this winter. If you don't see a new show from this winter listed below, please check previous posts. Thursday Nights : Backstrom, Thursdays at 9 p.m. on FOX (Premiered January 22) About: This is the latest crime show from Hart Hanson, the creator of "Bones." It's not the first attempt by Hanson to create another show in the vein of "Bones," but like "The Finder" this doesn't work. The central character is prickly, the show is more about interpersonal relationships than the case of the week. But it takes more than a formula to make a successful show. There are some good performers here — including the lead, Rainn Wilson — but I wasn't drawn to the characters or the cases in the first two episodes. There aren't a lot of likable characters here, and the cases in the first two episodes haven't been that engaging. This show is OK, but in a crowded marketplace — especially conside...

Just as it was with last year's game, coming into Super Bowl XLIX, most assumed it would a close game. But unlike last year, we actually got a close game. In fact, it came down to the last 30 seconds as the Seahawks had a chance to score and win a second straight Super Bowl title. But they didn't. Instead, on a controversial second-down call, Russell Wilson dropped back to pass from the one-yard line and was intercepted. Most people are second-guessing Seahawk coach Pete Carroll today, and that's fair. When you have Marshawn Lynch and you've build your identity as a run-first team, you want to lose playing to your strength. The Seahawks didn't. Should they have given the ball to Lynch? Yes, even Carroll said that. But this is a case of a team getting too cute. They knew everyone expected a run, and they tried to catch the Patriots off guard with a quick pass. It didn't work, they lost, and now it will be months of what-ifs for the Seahawks and their fans. It was...

It all comes down to this. After two weeks of talking, it's time to play for the trophy. Super Bowl: Seahawks over Patriots (Seahawks) * This game won't be a blow out. Both these teams feel evenly matched, and I think this will be a struggle. In the five previous Super Bowls that Tom Brady and Bill Belichick have played in, the games have been decided by less than a touchdown. That bodes well for seeing a competitive game here. Once again it's a great offense agains the great Seattle defense, and once again I think the defense has the edge. After two weeks of being dogged by the deflated balls scandal, I think the Patriots won't be as focused as they'd like, and too much has been made of the injuries to the Seattle secondary. Plus, the Seahawks seem to have some magic. I think they pull it out in the end. Playoffs: Matt — 8-2 Lindsay — 4-6 Season: Matt — 142-124 Lindsay — 132-134

The Academy Awards are almost here, so it's time to take a deep dive into the nominees for Best Picture. Today's entry is a late bloomer that's continuing to generate controversy. Movie : American Sniper Nominations : 6 Nominated For : Best Picture, Best Actor (Bradley Cooper), Best Adapted Screenplay (Jason Hall), Best Editing, Best Sound Mixing, Best Sound Editing About : Prior to the Academy Award nominations, "American Sniper" wasn't really a major player. That changed when the nominations were announced and the Clint Eastwood-directed film picked up six nominations, including Best Picture. Since then, the film opened in theaters and has been running wild at the Box Office. The controversy soon followed. Some has to do with the film itself — the use of an obviously fake baby in some key scenes is not what you'd expect to see in a Best Picture nominee. Some is political — the accusations that the film is "pro-war" seem hollow to me, and the co...

In these posts I'm taking a look at the eight films nominated for Best Picture. Today's post is about the biggest dark horse — Wes Anderson's quirky comedy. Movie : The Grand Budapest Hotel Nominations : 9 Nominated For : Best Picture, Best Director (Wes Anderson), Best Original Screenplay (Wes Anderson and Hugo Guinness), Best Original Score (Alexandre Desplat), Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Costumer Design, and Best Hairstyling and Makeup About : What to make of the chances of "The Grand Budapest Hotel?" It was a movie that was released in March 2014 and just keeps hanging in there. It is typical of Anderson and his unique cinematic style. I don't think it's his best film, but it's certainly the one that seems to be getting the most attention and acclaim. At the Golden Globes in early January, "The Grand Budapest Hotel" was a surprise winner as Best Musical or Comedy, beating out the favored "Birdman....