The current NBC series is a very good version of this 1989 movie, but this original film, directed by Ron Howard, has plenty of charm to spare of its own. Steve Martin stars as a concerned father who agonizes a bit too much – but in ways that are both humorously and uncomfortably empathic. The cast is as deep as it is strong, and so is the script. Co-stars include Mary Steenburgen, Dianne Wiest, Keanu Reeves, Jason Robards and Rick Moranis.

2012

Jul

NY MED By David Bianculli

SERIES PREMIERE: Here it is, the first fresh offering from a commercial broadcast network that’s worth watching this summer. From executive producer Terence Wrong, it’s his latest documentary fly-on-the-wall look at hospital staffers and patients, this time in some well-chosen, well-staffed New York hospitals. Wrong may be slipping (I didn’t shed tears, this time, until episode two), but I don’t think so. Once again, it’s a summer series that plays to, rather than i

2012

Jul

UNDER THE COVERS OF DESIRE: INSIDE THE ROMANCE NOVEL By Eric Gould

According to the PBS POV documentary Guilty Pleasures, a romance novel is sold somewhere in the world every four seconds. For some, they can’t come off the press fast enough...

2012

Jul

RELIGULOUS By David Bianculli

Bill Maher is on a summer break from HBO’s Real Time with Bill Maher, so if you want more Maher, this is the place to go: an IFC showing of his 2008 nonfiction film about religious beliefs, with Maher’s atheistic viewpoint present throughout. Some of his targets are way too easy, but the film, by Borat director Larry Charles, features some even-handed and intriguing sequences as well.

2012

Jul

THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD By David Bianculli

It’s Classic Adventure night on TCM, and the night begins with a classic of classics: 1938’s Adventures of Robin Hood, starring Errol Flynn as Robin, Olivia de Havilland as Maid Marian, Basil Rathbone as Sir Guy and Claude Rains as Prince John. Oh, and Little John is played by Alan Hale, whose son, Alan Hale Jr., co-starred as the Skipper on Gilligan’s Island. (That piece of info provided to TVWW readers at no extra charge.)

2012

Jul

THE CLOSER By David Bianculli

SERIES RETURN: Kyra Sedgwick is back as Brenda, but not for long. These are the series’ final six episodes, bringing closure to the seven-season journey taken by Sedgwick the actress and Brenda the character. In this first episode of the final batch, Brenda prepares, once again, to face her nemesis Philip Stroh (recurring guest star Billy Burke) — but this time in court.

2012

Jul

MY COUSIN VINNY By David Bianculli

“You blend!” Much of this 1992 comedy feels like an enjoyable little B movie, a broad farce of the type that Hollywood cranks out seemingly every month. Yet Joe Pesci as a Brooklyn “attorney,” and Oscar-winner Marisa Tomei as his tough girlfriend, imbue this light comedy with way too much heart and energy to dismiss, or forget. Twenty years later, it’s still a hoot – and still memorable.

2012

Jul

PERCEPTION By David Bianculli

SERIES PREMIERE: The acting in this new series, and the casting, are much better than the scripts, which disappoint by not serving up very interesting or original mysteries. Eric McCormack, formerly of Will & Grace, plays a professor who has occasional hallucinations, which help him solve crimes as a consultant to the FBI. Even that central gimmick isn’t employed impressively, but when the guest roster, in the opening shows, includes Sheryl Lee from Twin Peaks and Neal McDonough from J

2012

Jul

1994: THE DEBUT OF CBS'S 'MUDDLING THROUGH' By Christy Slewinski

On this day in 1994, CBS introduced the sitcom Muddling Through, a short-lived series starring Stephanie Hodge and the pre-Friends Jennifer Aniston...

2012

Jul

THE MISSLES OF OCTOBER By David Bianculli

2012 is the 50th anniversary of the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the 38th anniversary of this superb made-for-TV movie, a behind-the-scenes play-by-play account (based in part on Bobby Kennedy’s Thirteen Days)...

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