This 1956 film was Marilyn Monroe’s first film after studying at the Actors Studio, and also was her first starring role in a dramatic film. It is, however, a film with music, and Monroe performs it – under-performs it, really – completely in character. Think of her down-and-out nightclub singer, Cherie, as the American equivalent of Sally Bowles in Cabaret.

2014

Jul

HELLBOY By David Bianculli

This 2004 movie is entertaining on its own merits, and a film that beat to the punch most of the current wave of movies based on graphic novels. There are two reasons to watch it at this moment in pop-culture time. One, to catch Ron Perlman’s starring performance, as a demon turned superhero, four years before he co-starred on FX’s Sons of Anarchy, in a role he recently, uh, relinquished. And the other is to catch an early, stylish directorial effort by Guillermo del Toro, who tomorr

2014

Jul

ALMOST ROYAL By David Bianculli

Poppy (Amy Hoggart) took in all the glamour of New York City and Fashion Week. In this week’s episode, they take in all the glamour of… Detroit. Including the ballet.

2014

Jul

ALL RUST, ALL RUST, ALL RUST By Eric Gould

There are more than a few parodies out there of True Detective and Matthew McConaughey's portrayal of detective and entranced atheist Rust Cohle. But this one, done by comic Jon Ruditz before this year's Oscars and amped up in a bad wig and mustache, takes a page out of the series plot...

2014

Jul

THE BATTERED BASTARDS OF BASEBALL By David Bianculli

This new Netflix documentary – another move forward into HBO-type programming territory, with its first nonfiction effort – is a family affair all the way but a good one. The subject of The Battered Bastards of Baseball is a 1970s Class A baseball club called the Portland Mavericks – at the time they played, the only independent minor-league outfit not affiliated with a major league team. Instead of a farm team for the bigs, the Mavericks were an unruly bunch of mostly overage

2014

Jul

MOYERS & COMPANY By David Bianculli

The session of the U.S. Supreme Court that just ended wrapped up its latest round of rulings by making some important rulings on telecommunications, campaign finance reform, birth control and other hugely significant topics. Two-thirds of the Court’s rulings were unanimous, the first time that’s happened since the 1950s. What’s going on, and why? On this weekend’s new edition, Bill Moyers interviews two veteran Supreme Court watchers: Linda Greenhouse of The New York Time

2014

Jul

FROZEN By David Bianculli

This 2013 Disney film now ranks as the world’s top-grossing animated movie of all time, and its soundtrack is, by far, the biggest-selling U.S. album of 2014. “Let It Go,” the anthemic power ballad driving much of this success, won the Oscar for Best Original Song – and tonight, Frozen premieres on Starz. Kristen Bell provides the speaking and singing voice of Anna, and Anna’s older sister, Elsa, the one who gets to sing “Let It Go,” is played by the wic

2014

Jul

PATHS OF GLORY By David Bianculli

Stanley Kubrick directed and co-wrote this intense, disturbing 1957 movie about soldiers who defy what seem to be recklessly risky orders in World War I, and are targeted for their actions. Kirk Douglas stars, and the actor was so impressed with Kubrick’s handling of this film that Douglas called in Kubrick to direct Spartacus three years later. This is less of a war film than an early anti-war film, and is all the stronger for it. And it’s followed, at 9:45 p.m. ET, by one of the ea

2014

Jul

CASTLE By David Bianculli

Orange Is the New Black fans, take note: This 2011 outing of Castle features a very smart, pre-Orange turn by Laura Prepon, who guest stars as an actress named Natalie Rhodes. She shows up at the precinct to research a movie role – just as author Rick Castle (series star Nathan Fillion) did when he first met up with Det. Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) in the series pilot. But now, Natalie is there to research the role of Nikki Heat, the heroine of Castle's successful cop novel – and a ch

2014

Jul

GOOD, SCARY TV: FX’S ‘THE STRAIN’ COULD CATCH ON, LIKE A VIRUS By David Bianculli

TV’s newest supernatural genre series, FX’s The Strain, takes on the familiar topic of vampires – but in a way that’s inventive and dazzling, as well as, yes, biting…

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