Matt's Musings

On Wednesday, the Broncos ended their coaching search by tapping Vic Fangio as the 17th head coach in the history of the franchise. He succeeds Vance Joseph, another defensive-minded guy, who coached for two seasons, compiling an 11–21 record before being relieved of his duties. Fangio, 60, brings a lot of NFL experience and a no-nonsense attitude, though it’s his first stint as a head coach. He’s been an NFL defensive assistant or defensive coordinator since 1986 , including a successful stretch as DC for the 49ers from 2011 to 2014 followed by four years with the Bears. He was instrumental in helping the terrific Bears’ defense spur the team to a 12–4 record and NFC North title this season. He was also clear, right away, during his introductory press conference Thursday that he plans to address and clean up mental lapses immediately, and not let them continue repeatedly, a problem that dogged the Broncos in 2017 and 2018. “When you see a small misdemeanor crime, that’...

Here we are in the first full week in January, and we’re finally about to get a slate of new releases. In fact, there are five new options in the game this week, so that’s something to get excited about if you’ve been craving different options. And yet, it’s possible we still have the same film at the top. But more on that in a minute. Last week I thought Bumblebee looked like some potentially great value, and a solid anchor choice. It wasn’t. Instead, Escape Room exploded and was the best option to top a Cineplex. So let’s just say I was pretty far off the mark there. I’ll try to do better this week, and at least the pool of options expands a bit. As I said, we have five new movies in the game. That includes a few new wide releases, and a couple of indie awards movies getting some expansion. As always, if you think you’re better at the game than me, I encourage you to join me in a Fantasy Life App Blog league! You can join the league here . Let’s see how this week stacks u...

Here's a look at the new movies I saw this week. If Beale Street Could Talk Starring: Stephan James, Regina King, Colman Domingo, Michael Beach, Diego Luna, Brian Tyree Henry, Finn Wittrock, and Kiki Layne Synopsis: James Baldwin was a powerful writer and thinker, and his books have endured. "If Beale Street Could Talk" was his fifth novel, and has been adapted into a film. The 1974 book, a pair of young lovers, Tish (Layne) and Fonny (James), are engaged and looking for a place of their own in Harlem. Fonny is falsely accused of rape and put in jail. Tish realizes she's pregnant, and has to break the news to her parents (King and Domingo) as she gets their help to fight to prove Fonny's innocence. The film, from writer/director Barry Jenkins ("Moonlight"), takes a look at this story, love and race relations during this time in America. He takes great care telling this story and is blessed by some rich performances. Layne and James are strong in t...

We've reached January, and are now in Winter. In past eras, this was a quieter time for new shows. But in our current Peak TV era, it's an explosive time for new shows. In these weekly posts I review the pilot and second episode of new scripted series this Winter. (And the occasional unscripted series.) Tuesday Nights: Good Trouble, Tuesdays at 8 p.m. on Freeform (Premiers January 8) About : A few of these winter shows have offered early pilots, so I'll be reviewing them ahead of their official premier. Such is the case with "Good Trouble," which officially premiers tonight. This one is a spin-off of "The Fosters," the successful family drama that ran for a number of years. It centers on two of the characters from that show, Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) as they move to Los Angeles to begin their careers. (This one jumps ahead a few years from where "The Fosters" ended.) Callie is a lawyer, and is now clerking for a F...

"These are real people with real problems. And every single time I help one of them I think about what would have happened if I failed." - Miles, "God Friended Me" The best new show of 2018 was “God Friended Me,” a beautiful look at faith and the world. Each week it airs a new episode, I’ll be recapping my thoughts. "God Friended Me" returned from a couple weeks off with its first new episode of 2019. And it picks up after a pretty big mid-season finale. This episode, naturally, didn't have quite the same emotional stakes and resonance of Miles (Brandon Michael Hall) dealing with the man who killed his mother. But it still offered a beautiful case of the week, a step forward for Cara (Violet Beane) and some move toward deepening the long-term mystery of the God Account. I've mentioned before, but I'm kind of put off by the idea the God Account will be the product of human intervention. I like the mystery of the divine the show embrace...

The Golden Globes are tonight, one of the most fun nights for movies and TV. Below are my fearless predictions. Best Motion Picture — Drama * A Star is Born * If Beale Street Could Talk * Bohemian Rhapsody * Black Panther * BlacKkKlansman Winner: I've seen all five, and they all do interesting things. To me, this comes down to "A Star is Born." I think it will be a big night for the film, and that begins with winning Best Picture. Best Motion Picture — Comedy/Musical * Mary Poppins Returns * The Favourite * Vice * Crazy Rich Asians * Green Book Winner: I have seen all five, and you could make a case for any of them. I think "The Favourite" is really unique and probably will win here, but the sentimentality of "Mary Poppins Returns" could upset the process here. Best Motion Picture — Animated * Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse * The Incredibles 2 * Ralph Breaks the Internet * Isle of Dogs * Mirai Winner: It should be "Spider-Man,...

We've reached the first round of the NFL Playoffs, and I begin my quest to go 11-0 in post-season picks. First a look back at the regular season. I finished the 2018 season with 158 picks in straight Pigskin Pick'Em and 132 in picks against the spread. The spread picks weren't my finest work this year. Lindsay finished with 140 in picking games. It was a weird year. And now it's time to move on to the post-season. Saturday Games: No. 6 Indianapolis Colts (10-6) at No. 3 Houston Texans (11-5) About: This battle of division rivals kick starts the playoffs. The Texans and Colts split their season series, each winning by three points in the other team's home stadium. So that means home field advantage doesn't mean a ton. In this case, I think the Texans have struggled with some injuries and inefficiencies on offense, and though they have a stout defense, I think the experience of Andrew Luck and the creativity and tenacity of rookie coach Frank Reich cou...