Matt's Musings

"Westworld" began its second season on April 22. The series, created by Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy, is based on the film from Michael Crichton, and is poised to be HBO's next big dramatic series. Each week I'll be exploring the episodes through recaps of season two. "But on my darkest day, you helped me. You gave me the strength to keep going. You saw me for who I really was." - Ake, "Westworld" Bottle episodes can be great. They often tell a contained story that may or may not have anything to do with the larger narrative. But often they help you get to know a character better, diving deep into what makes them tick and their role in the bigger picture. Last night's episode of "Westworld," "Kiksuya," wasn't totally a bottle episode. It definitely had a place in the larger narrative, and some present day items moved forward. But it was a close focus on a character on the fringes, Ake (Zahn McClarnon), putting h...

"No matter how many reasons why, there's always more reasons why not." — Olivia Baker, "13 Reasons Why" It's a common thing in entertainment that if you're successful, the studios always want to duplicate that success. Even if it doesn't end up making sense and waters down the original product. We see it in movies, with the unnecessary sequel. Often, they have you eventually forgetting why you loved the first one so much to begin with. But TV shows aren't immune. I remember a few years ago watching "Broadchurch." It was an incredible story, incredibly well told. And the finale was an emotional gut punch. It was my second favorite show of the year. Then it was renewed for a second season. That second season (and the eventual third) wasn't bad, but it wasn't nearly as good as the first season. It couldn't be. And in some ways it took away from my appreciation of what that first season would have been if it remained a cl...

Recently I chronicled my favorite Best Picture Winners since 1970. Now, for the next 10 weeks, I'll be sharing my 10 favorite films that fell short of Best Picture despite being nominees since 1990. 10. Fargo (1996) Starring: Frances McDormand, Steve Buscemi, William H. Macy, Peter Stormare, and Harve Presnell Directors: Joel and Ethan Coen About: It's hard to believe that "Fargo" didn't win Best Picture. It was nominated for seven Academy Awards and won just two, Best Lead Actress for McDormand and Best Original Screenplay for the Coen Brothers. But the big award went to "The English Patient." It's been 22 years, and I think it's safe to say that "Fargo" holds up a bit better than that year's winner. It's also just a really good movie, one of the Coen Brothers best. The story is engaging, as are the performances. Especially McDormand, who was a winner for the film. The film is so popular, still, that it inspired the...

The Broncos' season kicks off with pre-season games in August, but it's never too early to get hyped for the season. And today that means looking at one of the most wide open and critical positions for the Broncos, tight end. And that really means putting a pair of players with potential, but little on the NFL resume, under the spot light. Both Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt were drafted with potential and lofty expectations, and both lost their rookie seasons due to injury. For Butt, it was an inability to recover from a knee injury suffered during the Bowl Game to cap his time at Michigan. For Heuerman, it was an ACL Tear in the summer after he was drafted out of Ohio State. Now both these former Big Ten standouts will vie for the top position for the Broncos this season. And the team needs at least one of them to deliver on their potential. First, we'll consider Heuerman, who is the elder statesman among Broncos tight ends now that Virgil Green has moved on. Heuerma...

Well, the first week of the summer competition, much like the actual Box Office, was a deflating experience. Three new movies opened —  Adrift , Action Point and Upgraded  — and none of them made a big splash, while holdovers like Solo: A Star Wars Story and Deadpool 2 just did all right. As predicted, it was hard to know what to choose at the Box Office. I went with Avengers x4, Book Club x2, Life of the Party and Overboard , hoping that the smaller films would provide value. Instead, Rampage was the Best Value, Upgraded was a better filler option and Deadpool 2 x2 was the right anchor. So I started off summer in a slump, which means I need to push even harder the next 12 weeks to catch up. This week we have three more new films entering the fray, including one —  Ocean’s 8  — that figures to land the top spot at the Box Office. But is it the right anchor? Let’s discuss. New at the Box Office: It would be harder to find a bigger new film this week than Ocean’...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. Action Point Starring: Johnny Knoxville, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Dan Bakkedahl, and Chris Pontius Synopsis : Knoxville first made a name for himself thanks to his wild stunts. In both the series and films for "Jackass," Knoxville was part of a group that was willing to do anything for fun and a laugh. And even in his scripted projects, like his latest "Action Point," that spirit remains. The film takes place in the present and back in the past (presumably the early 1970s though it's never totally specified). D.C. (Knoxville) is watching his granddaughter, and decides to tell her about the glory days when he was the owner, operator, and architect of a wild and crazy amusement park in California. It was a different time when safety and security concerns were more lax, and D.C. had created a place for those without a home or a family to come and find both, along with a lot of wild and crazy fun. His daught...

We're into June, and plenty of new shows are bursting forth for us to sample. In these weekly posts I look at the pilot and second episode of new scripted shows this summer. Don't see a new show listed below? Check previous weeks. Monday Nights: Dietland, Mondays at 9 p.m. on AMC (Premiered June 4) About: AMC is a network that needs new blood. I've mentioned this a number of times. "The Walking Dead" is aging (and losing its lead after the next season), and the network hasn't had a lot of new hits. "Dietland" is a million miles from "The Walking Dead," but it comes with its own pedigree. It's based on the 2015 novel by Sarai Walker, and follows Plum Kettle (Joy Nash), an overweight woman who is trying to shed the pounds, considering surgery, and pining for a different kind of life. She's also the ghost writer for an advice column in a woman's magazine, writing on behalf of the vapid editor Kitty (Julianna Margulies). The ...