Tonight TCM is saluting Orson Welles, and its tribute begins with his two crowning cinematic achievements. First up is Welles’ 1941 first foray into cinema, his masterwork, Citizen Kane. Structurally and thematically, this flashback biography of a media baron was as bold then as Pulp Fiction was when it was released – and parts of it, all these decades later, still astound with their crispness of focus, depth of field and audaciousness of scope. Never take it for granted, and always

2015

May

GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY By David Bianculli

What’s most improbable about this 2014 Marvel movie? That it stars Chris Pratt from Parks and Recreation as an action hero? Bradley Cooper as a gun-toting, fast-talking raccoon? Vin Diesel as a monosyllabic giant tree-trunk alien? Zoe Saldana as a green-skinned space warrior? Or that it was a monster hit for Marvel, launching a new franchise from one of the comic company’s least-known titles?

2015

May

REAL TIME WITH BILL MAHER By David Bianculli

Former chess master Garry Kasparov, now a human rights activist, is one of tonight’s guests, and economist Joseph Stiglitz is another. Comic D.L. Hughley is there too, among others, and he’s always quotable when he visits Maher – but personally, I can’t wait to see what Stiglitz, and (especially) Kasparov, have to say.

2015

May

THE MAGNIFICENT AMBERSONS By David Bianculli

Another Orson Welles cinematic masterpiece. This 1942 movie has him as the narrator, as well as director, with Joseph Cotton as the star. But watch for Agnes Moorehead. She’s wonderful here.

2015

Apr

GREY'S ANATOMY By David Bianculli

Last week, Grey’s Anatomy said a surprise and sudden goodbye to one of its major and most beloved characters. Tonight, in a two-hour episode, it has the rest of the hospital staffers becoming aware of what Meredith already knows: That Patrick Dempsey’s character of Dr. Derek Shepherd is… no longer with the hospital. Or the series.

2015

Apr

THE BIG BANG THEORY By David Bianculli

SEASON FINALE: Tonight’s episode marks the first time that Sheldon’s mother and Leonard’s mother, played respectively (and equally delightfully) by Laurie Metcalf and Christine Baranski, have appeared in the same episode. That’s a lot of Big Bang for your sitcom buck, so don’t miss it.

2015

Apr

THE CASUAL VACANCY By David Bianculli

MINISERIES PREMIERE: Part 3 of 3. This is the conclusion of J.K. Rowling’s miniseries, which stars Michael Gambon as the prominent patriarch of a small British town, trying to steer a public election to favor the transformation of a rehabilitative halfway house to a luxury hotel and spa. There are a few good performances, but this final episode takes an unforgivably bleak turn, and also, on balance, isn’t that good, period. If it were, would HBO be showing this miniseries on a Wednes

2015

Apr

BILLY THE KID MOVIE FESTIVAL By David Bianculli

Six movies about or featuring the infamous Western outlaw Billy the Kid are presented in tonight’s all-night cinematic shoot-out. With half a dozen movies, you might even call it a six-shooter. The action begins with 1970’s Chisum, a fact-based Western in which John Wayne stars in the title role as John Chisum, and Geoffrey Deuel appears as Billy “The Kid” Bonney. That’s followed, at 10 p.m. ET, by the must-see Western of this wild bunch: 1973’s Sam Peckinpah-

2015

Apr

LOUIE By David Bianculli

In tonight’s Louie, Louie (Louis C.K.) spends some time with his older brother – who has some observations about life that tend to be vastly different from his more successful sibling’s.

2015

Apr

CHICAGO FIRE CROSSOVER By David Bianculli

I’m not really recommending this – just noting what is a very rare TV event. Tonight, NBC presents three different one-hour dramas all telling the same sequential story. It begins on Chicago Fire with an episode about an investigation that brings to town Sgt. Benson (Mariska Hargitay) from Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. The story continues at 9 ET on a new episode of Chicago P.D., an NBC drama series also executive produced by Dick Wolf. Finally, it concludes at 10 ET on Law

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