Westworld continues to reveal itself slowly and present its intention and direction in unexpected twists, turns and dead ends – just like a maze, which has become not only this show’s central metaphor, but a plot device of its own, with the Man in Black (Ed Harris) searching with fierce determination to find “the maze” and understand its secrets.

2016

Nov

MASTERS OF SEX By David Bianculli

This season’s shows have been alternately emotional and amusing, and I’m guessing tonight’s new outing leans towards the latter. Libby (Caitlin FitzGerald), the sexually emboldened estranged wife of Michael Sheen’s Dr. Masters, heads on a weekend road trip with Bram (David Walton), her husband’s attorney – and her current paramour. It’s the summer of 1969, and they take a drive to upstate New York, to check out a little music and arts fair being held in

2016

Nov

LAST TANGO IN PARIS By David Bianculli

In 1972, Marlon Brando made two movies, both of which achieved an unusual degree of notoriety. One was Francis Ford Coppola’s The Godfather. The other was Bernardo Bertolucci’s Last Tango in Paris, in which he plays an American in Paris, but one who’s a far cry from the type portrayed on screen by Gene Kelly. In Last Tango, he plays a grieving widower, so overcome by the suicide of his wife that he embarks on a carnal, physical, no-names-please affair with a young woman (played

2016

Nov

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER By David Bianculli

This is the other show, often dealing with politics, presenting its final edition before the arrival of Election Day 2016. Oliver has spent more and more time discussing the election campaign, always to his own dismay, and it’s impossible to imagine he won’t address the most recent events, and dramatic turns of events, in tonight’s installment, taped a few hours before it’s shown on HBO. Last Week Tonight has been the most consistently excellent satirical comedy show cove

2016

Nov

BIANCULLI’S DAILY BEST BETS RETURNS! By David Bianculli

Well, I’m going to give it a try, anyway: Returning to the daily grind of presenting daily, rather than weekly, editions of Bianculli’s Best Bets. I’ll try it for a while, and see if I can keep up the pace – the whole point is, in this post-operative phase of my TVWW experience, is that it’s not supposed to be a grind, but fun. So I reserve the right to revert to weekly recaps if this proves too taxing. But for now, let’s give it a go. And thanks, again, to al

2016

Nov

WHERE TO INVADE NEXT By David Bianculli

Michael Moore just dropped a surprise documentary into the pop-culture universe to add to the current election cycle cacophony of coverage – but this is the TV premiere of his 2015 documentary, which also pays attention to the still-current presidential election campaign.

2016

Nov

DIRK GENTLY’S HOLISTIC DETECTIVE AGENCY By David Bianculli

I must admit, I don’t profess, at this point, to understand much of this series, based on the Douglas Adams story and characters. But I loved the previous adaptation of this ultra-zen crime comedy, and this one, loaded with enjoyably oddball performances, is fun, too. Think of it as an even more spaced-out The Big Lebowski. There. Now don’t you want to sample it? And you should.

2016

Nov

THE GRAHAM NORTON SHOW By David Bianculli

Benedict Cumberbatch is starring on the big screen right now as the hero of the latest Marvel Comics movie franchise, Doctor Strange. But he’s also doing publicity for it, which is why he’s on Graham Norton’s couch tonight, sharing space with Bryan Cranston and Eddie Redmayne, with musical guest Leann Rimes.

2016

Nov

BADLANDS By David Bianculli

TCM presents a double feature of Sissy Spacek movies tonight in prime time. Coal Miner’s Daughter, the 1980 movie in which she stars as country singer Loretta Lynn, leads off the night at 8 p.m. ET, and duly earned Spacek an Oscar as Best Actress. But seven years prior to that, in the movie shown at 10:15 p.m. ET, she starred in 1973’s Badlands, giving an equally unforgettable performance as a teenager who embarks on a murder spree with a drifter played by Martin Sheen. The fact-base

2016

Nov

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE By David Bianculli

Benedict Cumberbatch, already on view tonight on The Graham Norton Show, is the guest host of tonight’s new Saturday Night Live, which features Solange as the musical guest. I’m a big fan of Cumberbatch’s work in both The Imitation Game and TV’s Sherlock, but the real draw here is the opening sketch – in what will be the final fresh SNL before Tuesday’s presidential election.

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