DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
2019
Nov
6
 
 
This month, TCM is celebrating the 100thanniversary of the American Society of Cinematographers with a slew of special programming – and the tip of the spear of that slew is this new documentary, which looks at America’s history of early filmmakers behind the camera. Competing with groundbreaking counterparts from France, these early camera artistes broke away from the Edison company, made their own increasingly fluid narrative films, and helped build and revamp the cinema industry &
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
6
 
 
Tom Petty and his Heartbreakers recorded and released their third album in 1979, showcasing such instant classic rockers as “Refugee,” “Here Comes My Girl,” and “Don’t Do Me Like That.” When MTV launched two years later, Petty was an early staple – and this edition of Classic Albums deconstructs the Damn the Torpedoes tracks and explains precisely how and why they were recorded.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
6
 
 
Subtitled The Soul of American Culture, this new HBO Documentary film, directed by Roger Ross Williams, gives the Harlem theater showcase its due – and better than ask which great acts have passed through that venue, it’s easier to ask which ones haven’t. Start with James Brown, who alone would be enough for celebration, and go from there. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
6
 
 
Episode 3. This is where this psychological mystery gets even deeper, and somewhat creepier. And Jenna Coleman, in the leading role, plays her part so subtly, you don’t know, for the longest time, whether she’s the victim of her baby’s disappearance – or the culprit. Her performance will stick with you, as will this four-part miniseries.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
5
 
 
Artificial intelligence has yet to find a way to tell you a good TV show from bad...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
5
 
 
SEASON PREMIERE: The narrative structure of this series, aimed at young teens but with potential appeal to a wider audience, caught well-deserved attention when it premiered last year. It’s about a young, modern, aimless Bonnie and Clyde of sorts, played by Jessica Barden as Alyssa and Alex Lawther as James, who end up on the run and starting a murder spree. One wrinkle: he planned to kill her as well, until he fell in love with her along the way. Season 1 probed their relationship, and th
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
5
 
 
It’s the 30thanniversary of the animated Disney hit The Little Mermaid, so this version of the classic fairy tale now has multiple generations of fans. This live TV special shows parts of the movie, but intersperses them with live performances of the musical, sung and acted by a few familiar faces and voices. Auli’i Cravalho, who sang the title role in a much more recent Disney musical animated film, Moana, sings the role of Ariel in the new studio production. Als
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
5
 
 
The flashback parts of tonight’s episode, called “Dinner and a Date,” include a scene at a college mixer, when Beth first met Randall.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
4
 
 
SERIES REPEAT: Friends, Romans, countrypeople, lend me your ears: One of TV’s most hidden gems, and most sparkling, is this Canadian comedy-drama series about a struggling Shakespearean acting troupe. And beginning today, the Acorn TV streaming service is repeating it in its entirety. Season 1, which launched in 2003, is showcased tonight, with the episodes of Season 2 following on November 25, and Season 3 after that in mid-December.Slings & Arrows stars Paul Gross, star of anoth
 
 
 
  
 
 
2019
Nov
4
 
 
SERIES PREMIERE: Based on the trilogy of novels by Philip Pullman, His Dark Materials is a team effort by the U.K.’s BBC One, which unveiled it yesterday, and HBO, which premieres it tonight. A grand and beautifully photographed series, which HBO is hoping will fill part of the fantasy adventure void left behind by the departure of Game of Thrones, His Dark Materials is set in a world where all people eventually are paired with animal companions that complemented by ani