DAVID BIANCULLI

Founder / Editor

ERIC GOULD

Associate Editor

LINDA DONOVAN

Assistant Editor

Contributors

ALEX STRACHAN

MIKE HUGHES

KIM AKASS

MONIQUE NAZARETH

ROGER CATLIN

GARY EDGERTON

TOM BRINKMOELLER

GERALD JORDAN

NOEL HOLSTON

 
 
2013
Jul
15
 
 
The Johnny Carson vintage interviews presented tonight include a 1983 interview with Michael Caine (at 8:48 p.m. ET), whose 1966 comedy The Wrong Box follows immediately at 9 p.m. ET. Other Carson interviews tonight, hosted by a properly reverential Conan O’Brien: Shelley Winters from 1975 (at 8 p.m. ET), followed at 12-minute intervals by Ronald Reagan (1975, five years before being elected President of the United States), Robin Williams (from 1981), Jonathan Winters (from 1988), and Cain
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
15
 
 
In this week’s new episode, as the town residents remain trapped under glass by a mysterious bubble, things start to get in very short supply. One thing people are running out of: medicine.  Another thing: patience. Dean Norris stars.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
15
 
 
This new film, by Jason Tippet and Elizabeth Mims, follows three teenage Southern California friends – two boys, one girl – as they follow their passions (skateboarding, among other things) and face the future. Which, as this study shows, is more imposing than promising. Check local listings.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
15
 
 
First Jon Stewart took off for the summer to make a film, and then his replacement, John Oliver, got a break as The Daily Show took a two-week vacation. But it returns tonight, as does Oliver – whose guest tonight is Aaron Sorkin, whose HBO series The Newsroom also returned, last night, for its second season.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
14
 
 
Nowadays it’s common for an enterprising Hollywood writer-producer to acquire rights to a TV series made in another country, and adapt it with a new version tailored for American audiences. But long before Norman Lear helped pioneer that process for TV with All in the Family, movie studios were doing the same thing. This 1960 Western, for example, is an adaptation of a fabulous “Eastern”: Akira Kurosawa’s 1954 The Seven Samurai. And who are some of the stars of this Ameri
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
14
 
 
Last week’s episode ended with two significant plot twists. One, Pastor Mike was revealed to be living under an assumed name, after fleeing a town where he was involved in a case with an assault on another young woman. And two, at the very end of the show, Linden (Mireille Enos) got into her car to discover a desperate Pastor Mike in her back seat, putting a knife to her throat and ordering her to “Drive.” So either The Killing, for once, has identified the killer early, or els
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
14
 
 
The more this season’s shows focus on Debra (Jennifer Carpenter), and her continuing breakdown after committing murder to protect her brother, the less satisfying and believable things get. But the more Charlotte Rampling, as a visiting police psychologist, probes the psyche of Michael C. Hall’s Dexter, the better this show becomes. So watching, for now, is a mixed bag – but it’s the final season, so who can stay away?
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
14
 
 
SEASON PREMIERE: Aaron Sorkin’s TV news drama series is back, with two immediate changes. The opening credit sequence is new, and so is the story structure, with this entire season devoted to one ongoing plot about a volatile news story gone wrong. Some people, even fans of Sorkin’s previous efforts, hate this show, and even enjoy hating it – but I’m still in the “enjoying it” camp.  Jeff Daniels stars. For a full review, see or hear my report for NPR&rsq
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
14
 
 
Jon Voight, as Ray’s out-of-prison dad, manages to hurt, destroy, infect or annoy just about anything he touches – except for his son’s wife and kids, which infuriates Ray (Liev Schreiber) to no end. Sometimes, Voight’s Mickey Donovan is a terror. Other times, as when he uses a public library computer to access porn sites, he’s a riot. What a role for Voight – and what a great job he does with it.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2013
Jul
13
 
 
Seth MacFarlane was underestimated twice by Hollywood: once when Fox canceled Family Guy early in its run, before impressively and unprecedentedly high DVD sales prompted an order for new episodes, and again with this 2012 live-action comedy, which MacFarlane directed and co-wrote. Ted stars Mark Wahlberg as a man whose childhood wish for a living teddy bear came true – with no expiration date. It was such a box-office hit that MacFarlane was asked to host the Academy Awards, which was the