Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 movie is one of those intense character studies of his – The Shining is another – that manages to capture, perfectly and frighteningly, a man’s slow descent into homicidal madness. In this case, it’s Marine recruit Vincent D’Onofrio, whose performance in this film remains, despite everything he’s accomplished since, his career best.

2013

Nov

JFK: THE FINAL HOURS By David Bianculli

On the last speech he gave, in the hours before being assassinated at Dealey Plaza in Dallas on Nov. 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy uttered the following sadly prophetic statement: “We would like to live as we once lived, but history will not permit it.” By devoting itself to the 24-hour period prior to the shooting in Dallas, this two-hour National Geographic special captures many telling details, and unearths and interviews many people whose paths crossed those of John and Jac

2013

Nov

THE NEIGHBORS By David Bianculli

This is a warning, not a recommendation. Tonight’s plot has the inappropriate aliens of this silly ABC sitcom, along with one of their earthly neighbors, showing up on an episode of ABC’s Shark Tank, requiring the judges of that show to act and react as players in a sitcom, rather than as themselves. It dilutes the brand of the ABC reality series, which follows immediately, without necessarily helping The Neighbors. Disney and ABC are very, very big on corporate and artistic synergy,

2013

Nov

GREAT PERFORMANCES: “STEPHEN SONDHEIM’S ‘COMPANY’ WITH THE NEW YORK PHILHARMONIC By David Bianculli

When this Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical premiered on Broadway in 1970, it changed my life a little. I saw it that season, just after it opened, as part of a trip hosted by the Glee-like Contemporary Music program at Nova High School in Fort Lauderdale. And even though I was a naïve teenager at the time, something about Sondheim’s lyrics and music, and Furth’s sardonic, romantically cyncical comic vignettes, hit me in the gut, and gave me a lifelong love of Broadway theat

2013

Nov

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER By David Bianculli

After last week’s all-star lineup, this week’s seems positively understated. But it does include Anthony Weiner – and even if his observations and answers don’t prove too candid or entertaining, Maher’s questions might.

2013

Nov

'HOMELAMB' By Monique Nazareth

Sesame Street's parodies are turning out to be better than SNL's. In their homage to Showtime's Homeland, Carrie has to help find the big bad wolf...

2013

Nov

THE BIG BANG THEORY By David Bianculli

Bob Newhart won a Guest Actor, and quite deservedly, for his appearance last season as former TV science host “Professor Proton.” Astoundingly, it was the first performing Emmy won by Newhart, ever. And tonight, he gets another shot, reprising the role in a new episode that pits his Professor Proton against another TV science celebrity – played, quite appropriately, by Bill Nye, as in Bill Nye the Science Guy. Putting these two guys together ought to make for some fairly combus

2013

Nov

GLEE By David Bianculli

Returning after its tribute to late cast member Cory Monteith, Glee presents an episode asking its young performers to pledge their loyalties and reveal their self-images, and reveal whether they consider themselves more of a Katy Perry or a Lady Gaga. This is the modern equivalent, I suppose, of previous questions posed about whether one preferred Marilyn to Jackie, or Ginger to Mary Ann. But I’m not sure it’s progress… just as I’m not sure, the past two years, whether

2013

Nov

THE RETURNED By David Bianculli

Part 2. Last week, I did everything I could to steer viewers towards this imported French miniseries without revealing even the most basic elements of its slowly unfolding plot. I hope you watched, because then I know you’re ready for the second installment, to get a better idea of what the hell is going on, and why, and even to whom. I’ll keep things mysterious for one more week, but sooner or later, I’ve got to talk about what’s going on in this show with specifics. It&

2013

Nov

TWO AND A HALF MEN By David Bianculli

In this episode, Alan (Jon Cryer) runs into Lynda Carter at a fundraiser, and reveals – no surprise – that during his formative youth, he was a major Wonder Woman fan. I wonder, woman, what happens next, when the two of them actually spend some time together.

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