Sissy Spacek plays country singer Loretta Lynn in this 1980 biography – and, at the time, impressed critics by singing the songs herself, rather than lip-synching to Lynn’s recordings. Academy Award voters were impressed, too – and awarded Spacek the Best Actress Oscar. Costars include Tommy Lee Jones and, stepping out from behind his drum kit in The Band, Levon Helm.

2015

Jan

THE TERMINATOR By David Bianculli

One of several vintage movies shown tonight, this one, from 1984, began a franchise that’s just about to be rebooted, with its original star, Arnold Schwarzenegger, as a key part of the mix again.

2015

Jan

FUNNY GIRL By David Bianculli

Very young TV viewers may recognize this as the musical in which Lea Michele’s Rachel, on Glee, was starring in a Broadway revival. But no, this is the 1968 movie version of the musical which, like this film, showcased Barbra Streisand as Ziegfeld comedy star Fanny Brice. Co-stars include Omar Sharif, Anne Francis and, as Mrs. Strakosh, Mae Questel. I note that because, though her name may not be familiar, her voice certainly is: in vintage cartoons, she provided the voices of two fe

2015

Jan

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE By David Bianculli

On tonight’s new edition, Blake Shelton is the host and the musical guest. Take that, Adam Levine…

2015

Jan

ENCHANTED By David Bianculli

Eight years ago, this sweet little musical comedy Disney film imagined what it would be like if a Disney-style animated princess would pop in, fully three-dimensional, in the modern world, in New York City but with her idealism and innocence intact. The film gave Amy Adams her first starring role – and, quite rightly, led to an impressive string of movie roles. In Enchanted, she’s enchanting. And so, I suppose, is this film’s modern-day Prince Charming: Patrick Dempsey from Gre

2015

Jan

PINEAPPLE EXPRESS By David Bianculli

In this 2008 comedy, Seth Rogen and James Franco co-star, creating devastation in their wake as they stumble aimlessly through a series of silly situations. And yet, seven years ago, this movie was released without causing any international incidents.

2015

Jan

AMERICAN MASTERS: "RICKY JAY: DECEPTIVE PRACTICE" By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: This is the first new American Masters of the season – and it’s Season 29, if you’re counting, which is damned impressive (the number of seasons, not that you’re counting). It’s devoted to Ricky Jay, and it’s the first time this series has profiled a magician. That means Ricky Jay is getting his American Masters moment in the spotlight before, say, Harry Houdini – but there’s a good story to tell here, and the vintage clips go back

2015

Jan

12 MONKEYS By David Bianculli

In tonight’s episode, the second installment of this series, time-traveling Cole (Aaron Stanford) finds himself in the year 2015. I can’t say I’m particularly impressed – these days, I do that all the time.

2015

Jan

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER By David Bianculli

One of tonight’s guests on this new outing is politician Howard Dean. Another is comedian Bill Burr (pictured), whose name may be less familiar – but who, on Monday’s premiere installment of Comedy Central’s The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore, provided the strongest laughs at the discuss-the-issues roundtable. And now, on a different coast, here he is, sitting in on his second talk-show roundtable of the week.

2015

Jan

SINGIN' IN THE RAIN By David Bianculli

One of the very best movie musicals ever made – and a spoof history of the cinema’s shift from silents to sound to boot. And, in the title number in this 1952 film, Gene Kelly sings and dances with pure, unbridled joy – in a sequence still a joy to behold 63 years later. Donald O’Connor, Debbie Reynolds and the unfairly underappreciated comic actress Jean Hagen co-star.

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