So it’s come down to this: The Final Four. The first game is basketball’s version of an all-Southern Civil War, pitting Kentucky vs. Louisville. The second game pits Kansas vs. Ohio State – and the winners of tonight’s contests face each other Monday in this year’s NCAA Championship.

2012

Mar

BRIDESMAIDS By David Bianculli

This 2011 comedy has been given credit for a lot of things, including proving that a female-driven ensemble comedy film can open big, stay big, and cut across all sorts of demographic categories. Give it credit most of all, though, for its most important attribute: It’s funny. And what a cast: Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Melissa McCarthy, Rose Byrne, Ellie Kemper…

2012

Mar

SUNRISE By David Bianculli

Here’s a movie you don’t see often on television, much less in prime time: It’s F.W. Murnau’s silent drama, a movie about love and betrayal and lust and longing and reconciliation. George O’Brien and Janet Gaynor star as a married couple from the country, and Margaret Livingston plays the Woman from the City who tempts him not only to embrace both her and the big city, but tries to persuade him to murder his wife. And in one bold sequence, accomplished within the ca

2012

Mar

MIDNIGHT IN PARIS By David Bianculli

Woody Allen’s best, most assured comedy in many years, this 2011 romantic salute to Paris leads to all sorts of unexpected places – just like a late-night stroll in the city itself. Owen Wilson stars as a writer with a nostalgic appreciation for the city’s artistic past, which is embodied, at one point, by, among others, Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein and – stealing the movie – Corey Stoll as Ernest Hemingway.

2012

Mar

SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE By David Bianculli

This repeat has Katy Perry, returning to host for the second time. And, this time as last, proving herself game for just about anything. The writers didn’t provide her that much good material this time, but it’s still a watchable outing. And by the way: In the accompanying photo, that’s Katy Perry at right. At left? Once again in today’s Best Bets, Kristen Wiig.

2012

Mar

'THE KILLING,' 'GAME OF THRONES' ARE UP TO THEIR OLD TRICKS By David Bianculli

One series returns in search of redemption. The other returns in hopes of maintaining momentum. And this Sunday they both arrive -- both of them, in coming back, are up to their old tricks...

2012

Mar

'THRONES,' 'KILLING' RETURN ... AND REVERT TO OLD HABITS By David Bianculli

(From NPR) AMC's "The Killing" started strong, with raves from critics and an impressively loyal core of viewers. But in the final episode of the year, when it left its season-long murder mystery intentionally unresolved, most fans felt angry, even betrayed. HBO's "Game of Thrones," on the other hand, took a bit longer to get established, and to get as much attention...

2012

Mar

LITERATURE WORTH WATCHING: 'AMERICAN MASTERS' CREATOR SPEAKS VOLUMES ABOUT LITERARY DOUBLE BILL By Tom Brinkmoeller

Those who love splendid American literature will receive a special treat April 2 when American Masters, a PBS series with a strong reputation for serving up consistently delightful programming, pairs profiles of two renowned American authors...

2012

Mar

THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH By David Bianculli

This 1955 Marilyn Monroe movie is iconic, and most famous, for giving the actress a white dress to wear and a subway grate to stand above. But there’s so much more to this clever comedy, starting with Tom Ewell’s hapless, hopeless portrayal of a married man pining for, and fantasizing about, a neighboring free spirit. Ewell’s character is a savvy ad man – a prototypical Don Draper – and his fantasies are imaginative as only a Madison Avenue guy’s can be. And M

2012

Mar

FRINGE By David Bianculli

This episode isn’t a repeat, but Peter (Joshua Jackson) has feelings of déjà vu anyway, as the team investigates a case, and he’s the only one who remembers it from a previous time. Or place. Or reality.

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