Otto Preminger directed this 1944 noir classic, stressing both the mood and the obsessive drive of a detective (Dana Andrews) who falls in love with the woman whose murder he is investigating. Twisted? Absolutely. But fascinating… and, in this telling, very mature, and very surprising as well. The object of his desire is played by Gene Tierney.

2014

Apr

ORPHAN BLACK By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: Back for Season 2, this BBC America series delights all over again, and hits the ground running at such rapid speed that you may not know what hits you. Except what hits you at every turn is the astounding multi-role performance by Tatiana Maslany, who plays distinct clone variations of the same body type – often in the same scene – in a way that makes you forget you’re often seeing double. Or triple. It’s such a smart show, and Season 2 begins with a qua

2014

Apr

BILLY CRYSTAL: 700 SUNDAYS By David Bianculli

What a glorious treat this is. Billy Crystal starred in this tribute to his parents and family life in 2004, as a limited-run, Tony-winning one-man Broadway show, and revived it a decade later – and during the second run, filmed a pair of performances so that it could be presented, and preserved, as an HBO Comedy Special. Crystal’s performance is a delight from start to finish, but that’s less of a surprise than how well-written, and how effectively and impressive structured, t

2014

Apr

THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW By David Bianculli

I’m not pleased that BBC has pushed this series back to 11 p.m. ET for its new season – Season 15, an impressive run indeed – because, each week, Graham Norton always seems to provide a talk-show moment that’s laugh-out-loud entertaining. He doesn’t do musical bits or viral videos, he just talks with his guests, and gets them to react, or otherwise reveal themselves, in ways that other talk hosts never even attempt to approach. Tonight’s case in point: In an i

2014

Apr

WGN IMAGINES SUPERNATURAL CONSPIRACY IN 'SALEM' WITCH TRIAL SERIES - BUT THE REST IS HISTORY By Donna J. Plesh

Our television screens today seem to have been invaded by every variety of undead beings... and the latest mysterious souls coming to entertain us are witches...

2014

Apr

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? By David Bianculli

Boy, am I glad I don’t have to try to say this on the radio: Tonight’s guest, in this effortlessly endearing CW improv comedy sketch series, is champion sumo wrestler Byambajav Ulambayar.

2014

Apr

ARGO By David Bianculli

This 2012 fact-based thriller, directed by and starring Ben Affleck, is an intense and entertaining account of a bold and bizarre attempt to extricate some diplomats who had fled from the takeover of the American embassy in Iran in 1979, in a mission that remained top secret for decades after. The supporting cast is full of talented TV faces: Bryan Cranston from Breaking Bad, John Goodman from Roseanne, Victor Garber from Alias, Tate Donovan from Damages, and Kyle Chandler from Friday Night Ligh

2014

Apr

THE LAST SONG By David Bianculli

It was four years ago, back in 2010, that Miley Cyrus starred in this standard romantic drama, playing a somewhat rebellious young woman who gets closer to her dad (Greg Kinnear) because of their shared love of music. In real life, that same story line was acted out by Miley Cyrus too, in a way, but with a lot more tongue. And twerking. And notably, her love interest in this coming-of-age romance movie is played by Liam Hemsworth, who went on to co-star in The Hunger Games as Gale Hawthorne. So

2014

Apr

PARKLAND By David Bianculli

Peter Landesman, an investigative reporter for The New York Times Magazine and a former war correspondent, directed and co-wrote this fact-based 2013 movie with Vincent Bugliosi, the former prosecutor whose bestseller Helter Skelter provided a detailed look behind the scenes in the trial of Charles Manson. In Parkland, Bugliosi and Landesman follow the trails of many storylines ripping in and around Dallas in the immediate aftermath of the shooting of John F. Kennedy. The stars include Paul Giam

2014

Apr

THE POSTMAN ALWAYS RINGS TWICE By David Bianculli

This is as noir as film noir gets. In this 1946 study in love, lust and greed, John Garfield stars as a man who thinks he’s on to a good thing: the apparent love of a bad woman. Lana Turner plays that scheming woman, and plays her like a spider in full command of its web – and its prey.

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