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

 
 
2018
Feb
10
 
 
In the title of this new biography of guitar god Eric Clapton, 12 Bars refers to a standard blues structure, the 12-bar blues. But Clapton also, throughout his history, had times when he was much less then sober, and visited many more than 12 bars in his day. This film tells his story, which at times is triumphant, and at other times tragic and traumatic. But always, regardless, there’s the music. For a full review, see David Hinckley's All Along the Watchtower.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
10
 
 
Tonight on TCM, the network’s “31 Days of Oscar” salutes winners in the Best Art Direction category. And you have to be patient, but shortly after midnight ET, TCM presents an uncut, correct-ratio showing of what I consider the most gorgeous movie ever filmed: Stanley Kubrick’s 1975 period masterpiece, Barry Lyndon, starring Ryan O’Neal and (pictured) Marisa Berenson.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
10
 
 
Considering that he’s widely revered as one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll guitarists ever, Eric Clapton has maintained a remarkably low celebrity profile over the last half century...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
9
 
 
The second installment of this new talk show from David Letterman arrives today on Netflix. The guest this time is George Clooney, who talks family as well as film, and even gets to discuss his passion for certain global issues and news events. Oh, and he and Letterman also demonstrate some good taste, in both jokes and fast food: In an on-location capper filmed outside an In-N-Out Burger in Los Angeles, Clooney and Letterman munch on fries and burgers while Letterman ends the show by telling Cl
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
9
 
 
There are two ways to watch this year’s Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, which take place in the host city of Pyeongchang, South Korea. One is live, where you can watch it on the NBC Olympics website (Pyeongchang is 14 hours ahead of the U.S. East Coast, so the ceremony, which begins in South Korea at 8 p.m. local time there, can be seen on the website in the States beginning today at 6 a.m. ET). The other is in its usual tape-delayed, edited and packaged prime-time version, which begins
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
9
 
 
When Mel Brooks came out with his Star Wars spoof in 1987, a full decade after George Lucas released his first film, I thought at first that Brooks was arriving to the party, and the subject, a little late. After all, how many people still cared that much about Star Wars? I was so wrong, and Brooks was so right, that Spaceballs remains the biggest seller on home video among all of Brooks’ comedy classics. And on a night when another network, TCM, is saluting costume design, give Spaceballs
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
9
 
 
Tonight’s films in TCM’s “31 Days of Oscar” salute winners in the category of costume design, but most of the movies selected don’t exactly scream of costuming in a showy, gaudy way. But memorable? Absolutely – as in this 1962 winner, which deserved its Oscar simply for the way it dressed Bette Davis in that unshakably creepy children’s outfit. It was as scary as almost anything else in Baby Jane, including the rat entrée.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
9
 
 
Among Bill Maher’s guests tonight is someone who has been all over the news this week: Democratic California Rep. Adam Schiff. And he’ll be answering Maher’s questions without being served with a subpoena.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
9
 
 
Phoebe Robinson from I Love Dick and Jessica Williams from The Daily Show continue their series of loosely organized, casually enjoyable HBO specials – bantering together, introducing comics they like for brief standup sets, and making room for a special guest. Tonight, that guest is Sarah Jessica Parker, and the 2 Dope Queens are huge fans. The day’s topic? Hair…
 
 
 
  
 
 
2018
Feb
8
 
 
MOVIE PREMIERE: In this new movie for Sony Crackle that sounds like an episode of Black Mirror or Electric Dreams, Gabriel Byrne stars as a scientist who, in the near future, has developed the software to not only map a person’s mind, but upload that consciousness and its attendant memories into an alternate source. Or, as the title suggests, In the Cloud. It plays as derivatively as it sounds, but there is one reason, behind Byrne, to watch: One of his co-stars is Laura Fraser, who played