Better late than never for Joseph Gordon Levitt’s terrific directorial debut. This movie is really good, and I wish I were telling you that before it’s about to leave theaters, but…Oh well… What Works: Although “Don Jon” is billed as a comedy about porn addiction it’s really about the fantasies young men and women indulge in that…
Category: Mindless Mondays
I’m One of the Few People to See “Machete Kills” So You Don’t Have to
I ranked “Machete Kills” (the sequel to Machete, itself inspired by a fake trailer in front of Robert Rodriguez’s half of Grindhouse, still the only Quentin Tarantino movie to not make its budget back at the box office) as one of my least anticipated movies of the Fall, and it looks like audiences agreed with…
“Once Upon a Time in Wonderland” =Unintentionally Hilarious
This show may be one of the most jaw-droppingly silly programs I’ve ever seen on a broadcast network. It looks like it would fit right in on the Syfy channel after a re-airing of Sharknado, and is somehow even goofier than the show it spun off from, “Once Upon a Time.” Maybe it’s because almost…
TV Review: American Horror Story
I skipped the entire second season of American Horror Story because, for some crazy reason, a show set entirely in a dreary, old-style insane asylum with torture and a serial killer named Bloody Face on the loose just didn’t appeal to me. However, I was willing to give this new season a try because of…
Movie Review: “Gravity” in IMAX 3D May Be the Film Event of the Fall
The box office for this film was amazing, the audience grade was a strong A- and the rotten tomatoes score was an unreal 97 percent. So there’s not a lot of praise I can sing for this movie that hasn’t already been sung but I’ll try anyway. The short review: See this movie, and do…
Movie Review: “Inequality for All” Best Documentary of the Year So Far #inequalityforall
I could write a very long review about the new documentary on income inequality, but the absolute best thing for anyone to do is see it. What Works: This film lays out the economic case for exactly how staggering income inequality in the U.S. has become, and exactly why that’s the most disastrous thing that…
Mom Joke: A Real Corny One
A camper brought a very limp dog into the veterinary clinic. As he lay the dog on the table, the doctor pulled out his stethoscope, placing the receptor on the dog’s chest. After a moment or two, the vet shook his head sadly and said, “I’m sorry, but your dog has passed away.” “What?”…
TV Reviews: Super Fun Night, We’re the Millers, Sean Saves the World
Three new comedy shows, none of them very good, but one of them is almost good, so that’s something…[Also, what’s up with longer names for comedy series? Who wants to say “Sean Saves the World” every time they’re talking about a show they just watched?] Sean Saves the World…A gay man has to raise a daughter…
TV Review: How “The Bridge” Lost Me
Many predicted FX’s new drama series The Bridge (their first new drama series since Justified premiered four years ago) would be the next great TV drama. It had all the classic elements: a soulful protagonist (Damian Birchir’s Juarez cop Marco), a slightly off-center protagonist (Diane Kruger’s autism-afflicted El Paso detective), a culture clash, societal issues,…
TV Review: The Trial of Muhammad Ali
A so-so TV movie based on the Supreme Court trial of whether or not to uphold the conviction of Muhammad Ali for not going to Vietnam when drafted. Ali said he was a conscientious objector because of his beliefs as a member of the Nation of Islam, and the government said that didn’t cut it….
“The Good Wife” Just Can’t Stop Portraying Black Women as Problems
It’s become something of a running theme on The Good Wife to portray black women as either antagonists or as headaches for the white characters. It’s sad that a show with such nuanced, well-developed portrayals of white women can’t seem to figure out that black women shouldn’t be treated as plot nuisances for the white…
TV Review: The Simpsons Treehouse of Horror
It’s not easy for a show that’s been on the air a whopping 25 years to still generate headlines, but that’s exactly what happened (sort-of…they were small headlines…mostly online) when The Simpsons announced that famed fantasy director Guillermo Del Toro would be directing the opening credits sequence for their 25th Treehouse of Horror episode. And…
Movie Review: Rush
A solid, well-made film about the ferocious rivalry between two great formula 1 drivers (between this film and Senna, I’m beginning to think the whole sport hinges on rivalries between play-it-safe rulesters and cocky daredevils) that didn’t quite connect for me. I can definitely appreciate the film, and it’s hard to say it’s not a…