Director Vincente Minnelli is most associated with musicals (and, of course, for marrying Judy Garland and fathering daughter Liza), but he also directed this hard-boiled 1952 dramatic classic, which takes a Rashomon approach to tell the story of an unscrupulous Hollywood producer (Kirk Douglas), as seen from the respective perspectives of a director (Barry Sullivan), a writer (Dick Powell), and an actress (Lana Turner). Akira Kurosawa’s Rashomon had come out only two years before, making

2014

Jan

THE MUPPET MOVIE By David Bianculli

Made in 1979, this is the original Muppet movie – The Muppet Movie – made when the syndicated TV show, which had begun three years before was still in production. Tomorrow night, ABC Family will present the 2011 version, The Muppets, but check out the roster of cameos and guest stars for this Jimmy Carter-era production: Edgar Bergen, Milton Berle, Mel Brooks, Bob Hope, Madeline Kahn, Steve Martin, Richard Pryor and Orson Welles.

2014

Jan

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OKLAHOMA STATE VS. MISSOURI By David Bianculli

This particular postseason college contest used to be called the Cotton Bowl. Now, in part of America’s corporate takeover, it’s called the AT&T Cotton Bowl, as though the best brand of cotton is the type that comes from fiberoptics as well as fibers. The teams tonight are Oklahoma State (10-2) and Missouri (11-2), who are playing in this bowl, rather than an even more prestigious one, because of unexpected losses late in the season. But at least they get a prime-time broadcast n

2014

Jan

THE PRODUCERS By David Bianculli

Susan Stroman, Mel Brook’s collaborator on the musical stage version of his 1967 movie The Producers, directed this 2005 film version of their Tony-winning Broadway triumph. Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprise their stage roles, but Will Ferrell and Uma Thurman are imported to add some Hollywood sales clout – Ferrell as Franz Liebkind, and Thurman as the ultra-shapely Ulla.

2014

Jan

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: CLEMSON VS. OHIO STATE By David Bianculli

This particular postseason college contest used to be called the Orange Bowl. Now, in part of America’s corporate takeover, it’s called the Discover Orange Bowl, as though we will all be witness to a bright new color. The teams playing tonight are Clemson (10-2) and Ohio State (12-1), live from Miami’s Sun Life stadium.

2014

Jan

ANOTHER DAY, ANOTHER TIME By David Bianculli

Sorry if I seem to be pushing this particular concert special a bit too often, but T Bone Burnett’s assemblage of talent, tied to the Coen Brothers’ Inside Llewyn Davis movie, delivers in a way that makes me tune in almost every time it’s televised. You may not know most of the music, or even most of the players, as this concert begins – but by the time it’s over, I suspect you’ll be thrilled, and impressed, by the folk music canon of the early 1960s and befor

2014

Jan

A BEAUTIFUL MIND By David Bianculli

Ron Howard directed this 2001 psychological drama, which gave Russell Crowe his breakout role as a troubled mathematician. Jennifer Connelly, Ed Harris and Paul Bettany co-star, and the plot is clever enough to reward return viewers and first-timers alike.

2014

Jan

THE SMOTHERS BROTHERS COMEDY HOUR: THE BEST OF SEASON 3 By David Bianculli

How in the world did I overlook giving this set a Seal of Approval until now? When Time Life approached Tom and Dick Smothers about releasing best-of-season sets of their classic, influential Sixties variety series, the company wanted to begin sequentially, with Season 1, but Tom insisted upon starting with Season 3. It was his favorite, and he feared that a complete series might never follow – and damned if he wasn’t right, at least for now...

2014

Jan

COMEDIANS IN CARS GETTING COFFEE By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: A new season of Jerry Seinfeld’s online series begins on Crackle today (available any time) with a visit with Louis C.K., for which Paul Revere would have to light three lamps: unlike the British, Seinfeld and his guest, in this outing, arrive both by land and by sea. They tool around in both a car and a boat, but I doubt whether it’s a back-door spinoff: Comedians in Boats Getting Coffee sounds a bit too… let them eat cake-ish. This series as it is, though, i

2014

Jan

COMMUNITY By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: Last year, this series plodded on without its creator Dan Harmon, whose departure from the show was more the network’s idea than his own. Tonight, after a long fall hiatus, Community is back, and so is Harmon, with an episode that jumps forward in time for a Season 5 shuffling of the deck, or at least the premise. “We can ‘Repilot,’” one character says, employing the title of the episode itself. “Like Scrubs, Season 9!” And they do, thou

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