This 2000 comedy, directed by Harold Ramis, is a very loose remake of the 1967 comedy starring Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, which itself was a very loose play on Faust and other devil-made-me-do it classics. In this version, Cook’s part of the satanic schemer who grants wishes that turn out horribly is played by Elizabeth Hurley, who fills out the role very nicely. Very, very nicely indeed. Brendan Fraser plays her poor pawn, and Frances O’Connor has one of the best roles – mor

2014

Jul

RECTIFY By David Bianculli

It took the first two episodes of Season 2 for the quiet protagonist of this show, Aden Young’s Daniel, to awaken from his coma, after the brutal beating that he endured at the cliffhanger ending of Season 1. And now, after the touching reunion with his mother and sister at his hospital bed that ended last week’s episode, Aden is once again conscious. But since he had no direction before, once being suddenly released after 19 years in prison, in what direction will he be heading now?

2014

Jul

NY MED By David Bianculli

Tonight’s second episode of this year’s NY Med, ABC’s excellent medical documentary miniseries, is the one that first made me cry when I previewed the batch of new shows. Watch for yourself, and you’ll see why – and it’s not because of some terrible fate befalling some patient. It’s because of the love and dedication demonstrated throughout the hour. Tonight’s cases include a couple victimized by a brutal home invasion, and a young Marine who makes

2014

Jul

JAWS By David Bianculli

I don’t consider it summer, officially, until 1) school is out, 2) the weather is oppressively hot, and 3) Jaws is televised once again. And here it is, just when you thought it was safe to go back to the water: Steven Spielberg’s 1975 classic, a self-assured thriller that is equally parts primal tension and charming character acting. Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Shaw, playing off one another, are especially delightful. And Shaw’s late-night monologue about why he’ll never

2014

Jul

PLAY MISTY FOR ME By David Bianculli

In 1971, Clint Eastwood starred in this melodrama about a disc jockey’s overzealous female fan – but he took the leading role only in exchange for being allowed to direct the film as well. This was Eastwood’s first foray behind the camera… a side trip that turned out to be especially fulfilling. Meanwhile, this movie, in and of itself, is an early prototype for Fatal Attraction, and features Jessica Walter (much later, a scene-stealer in Arrested Development) as an obses

2014

Jul

THE OUTSIDERS By David Bianculli

S. E. Hinton’s treasured youth novel was directed for the screen by Francis Ford Coppola, who gets extra points for casting his story about rival gangs in the Sixties. Tom Cruise and Rob Lowe (pictured) star, as do Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez and Diane Lane. Oh, and Tom Waits, too.

2014

Jul

BEETLEJUICE By David Bianculli

Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice! Say his name three times, and he really will appear – so long as you say it at 9 p.m. ET, when your TV is tuned to ABC Family. But go ahead and do it, because this comedy film starring Michael Keaton, while now more than 25 years old, remains a Tim Burton-directed hoot.

2014

Jul

HOT IN CLEVELAND By David Bianculli

Here’s a guest appearance I wouldn’t have predicted: Tonight on Hot in Cleveland, one of the guest stars, playing a bizarre billionaire owner of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, is Chevy Chase. The newspaper is real, but not the owner as depicted here…

2014

Jul

NO GOAL IS A GOOD THING By Monique Nazareth

Team USA may have lost to Belgium in their latest World Cup effort but the man of the hour (or, in this case, of the two-hour game) was goalkeeper Tim Howard who played the match of his life..

2014

Jul

2014 WORLD CUP By David Bianculli

Today’s the day for U.S. viewers to tune in big time to the World Cup – and if they arrive early enough to watch this first game, against Argentina vs. Switzerland, they’ll witness one of the most celebrated players in the modern game. So far in this year’s World Cup alone, Argentina’s Lionel Messi – the gifted forward from Barcelona – has scored four goals in three games. Argentina, atop Group F, notched three victories in a dominant run, while Switzerl

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