Last year, three independent films stretched out the boundaries of exactly what a romantic comedy could be, and at least two of these movies (the first two reviewed) could more accurately be called anti-romantic comedies. If the winter blues has you feeling not so warm and cuddly, then these three (all available on Netflix) may…
Category: Mindless Mondays
TV Reviews: The Premieres of “The Following” and “Looking”
Sure, I get a perverse kick out of pairing two shows as wildly different as The Following (about an unrealistically well-organized cult of serial killers) and HBO’s new series “Looking” (about gay men and their relationships in San Francisco). What will I group together tomorrow? Duck Dynasty and Andy Cohen Live? The Following…I’m not entirely…
Oscar Nominations: Who Was Snubbed, Who Got Lucky, and Who Was Really Snubbed
Certain things enter into the collective culture, and it’s very hard to shake them. So when a lot of people say “Emma Thompson will be nominated for Saving Mr. Banks” for a performance that nobody really loves or “Inside Llewyn Davis will be nominated because the Coens are never not nominated” for a film that most people…
TV Reviews: “Archer,” “Chozen,” “Episodes,” and “Banshee”
Last night brought the premieres of two “mature” animated comedies on FX, and Showtime’s forever-disappearing sitcom “Episodes” is also back in the game. Plus, the early premiere of Cinemax’s unexpected delight “Banshee” is now available. All shows I like, to various degrees… Archer…The season 5 premiere put in motion a major reboot of the spy comedy…mostly because…
Monday Morning Movie Reviewer: Lone Survivor
This became the unexpected smash of the weekend box office, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s got all the hallmarks of a red-state hit: no nuance, based on a true story (although I doubt all the characterizations are exactly right…more on that later), and relentless scenes of “acceptable” brutality. [Acceptable brutality means either…
Monday Morning Movie Reviewer: “Hercules” …Please Don’t Watch This Movie
What a piece of garbage. Although I’m not knocked-out by Lone Survivor (review later today) I am thrilled that moviegoers made it a smash at the box office over this obviously dumber, louder, cruder film. What Works: If you’re looking for a good Mystery Science Theater-style movie to go watch with your friends and mock…
Movie Review: August: Osage County
Every once and a while a movie comes along that works on nearly every level, but just doesn’t grab you for some reason. “August: Osage County” is funny, expertly acting, finely scripted, well-directed, etc. but I just didn’t feel really compelled by anything I was watching on screen. Maybe it’s the fact that from the…
TV Reviews: “True Detective” and “Girls” HBO’s Weirdest Pairing Yet
There are a lot of strange show pairings on cable, and HBO’s sunday night lineup usually features the weirdest ones, say… “Boardwalk Empire” with “Eastbound and Down” or “Game of Thrones” with “Veep.” The “strangest bedfellows” award might be pairing up “True Detective” with “Girls.” The two shows have literally nothing in common: “True Detective”…
TV Reviews: Justified, Killer Women, and Chicago PD
Three very different types of cop shows, but only one of them good (guess which one ahead of time and win a free click on one of my advertisers)… Chicago PD…Another generic cop show, but hey “this one’s got a twist!” What’s the twist? The lead cop might be a bad cop! Of course, he only breaks…
TV Reviews: Hostages, Intelligence, and Assets
Three different shows, all about different forms of espionage… Hostages…This show finally, finally ended over on CBS, and I’m thrilled that I don’t have to watch it anymore. The season (and certain series) finale tied up most loose ends, but in the most over elaborate and suspense-less way possible. The biggest problem with a…
Movie Round-Up: “Stand Up Guys” and “At Any Price”
Real quick, just a couple more reviews of little loved movies after a day that’s seen 20 total movie reviews, and even more tomorrow… Stand Up Guys…This movie (about Al Pacino getting out of jail and Christopher Walken being his oldest friend in the world who’s also asked to kill him by ten the next…
Movie Review: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty
For some reason, this film isn’t connecting with audiences or critics much, and I’m not entirely sure why. Is it a truly good movie with no flaws? No. Does it accomplish everything it wants to be? Well, no to that too. But I can’t say it’s bad, and I think it just might stir up…
Docs about Obsessives: “The Short Game” and “Room 237”
Two docs about very, very different kinds of obsessives… The Short Game…This Netflix original documentary about children golfers hits all the familiar child-prodigy documentary beats: the pushy parents, the child prodigies who have a hard time with defeat, the kid with the overshadowing sibling (Anna Kournikova’s little brother), the underdog kid, and a lot of…