Any time the conversation turns to truly bizarre movie teamings (then again, maybe you have less geeky friends than I do, and your conversations never turn there), this 1969 movie is one of the trump cards to remember. It’s the answer to the question, “What film co-starred Elvis Presley and Mary Tyler Moore?” (Bonus question: “And had Mary Tyler Moore playing a nun?”) Hard as all that is to believe, try this: Elvis played a doctor. And the movie was made only one ye

2013

May

SAVING PRIVATE RYAN By David Bianculli

One of the best Memorial Day offerings possible, if you’re looking for a war movie. Since this 1998 Steven Spielberg is on HBO2, it’ll be shown unedited, and uninterrupted, which is key. And while many performances in this harrowing WWII drama are terrific, including that of Tom Hanks, the one to watch today is the title character. He’s played by Matt Damon, who can also be seen on the HBO networks this weekend co-starring as the gay lover of Michael; Douglas’ Liberace on

2013

May

RING OF FIRE By David Bianculli

After the excellent job done by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon as Johnny Cash and Jude Carter in the 2005 biopic Walk the Line, I’m not sure why we need another study of June Carter. And while few people, I imagine, are waiting to see Matt Ross as the Man in Black, the sound, as well as the sight, of singer Jewel as June should be worth the tune-in. But if someone tries to Cash in and make another biography of this couple, what titles and theme songs are left? A Boy Named Sue?

2013

May

PIRANHACONDA By David Bianculli

Want a truly brainless diversion for the holiday? This Syfy movie slipped by me when it premiered last year, starring Michael Madsen, the standout sadist of Reservoir Dogs, as the guy who has to go up against a giant snake with killer teeth – capable of, well, look at the photo. But you have to give props, if not propellers, to a snake that can down a helicopter in midflight. Similarly, you have to salute the folks at Syfy, for recognizing the idiotic purity of combining the names of two k

2013

May

INDEPENDENT LENS: “DETROPIA” By David Bianculli

This may sound like a Syfy movie, but this new Independent Lens documentary, Detropia, actually tries to capture the city of a Detroit at a particular moment in time – a moment when the beleaguered city may or may not be about to experience a resurgence. It’s by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady, the team that made Jesus Camp. Check local listings.

2013

May

NETFLIX’S ‘ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT’ REVIVAL: BINGING ON TV PERFECTLY MADE FOR BINGE VIEWING By David Bianculli

I’ve just completed a 15-episode Arrested Development binge on its return opening day on Netflix — and wow, was it worth it. It’s as hilarious as it is ingenious…

2013

May

ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT By David Bianculli

SERIES RETURN: Like locusts, Arrested Development showed up for a while, made a lot of noise, then went into invisible hibernation. That was seven years ago, when the Fox comedy series from 2003-06, which won the Best Comedy Emmy one of those years, was canceled way too prematurely. Now, almost incredibly, it lives again, as a 15-part sequel featuring the original cast members in a tag-team structure. The insanity, as before, is overseen by series creator Mitch Hurwitz, who brings his Bluth fami

2013

May

DOCTOR WHO: THE DOCTORS REVISITED – THE FIFTH DOCTOR By David Bianculli

Actually, by tuning in a few hours earlier – beginning at 6 p.m. ET – you can get up to speed on all the Doctors leading up to tonight’s new special saluting the Fifth Doctor, Pete Davison. (Salutes to Doctors 1-4 are repeated in half-hour installments from 6-8 p.m. ET.) The Fourth Doctor, the popular Tom Baker, was a tough act to follow, and Davison inherited the role with a different approach entirely. This special shows how – then shows some episodes from his original

2013

May

SMASH By David Bianculli

SERIES FINALE: There’s no denying that this show lost both steam and direction in Season 2, thanks to a new show-runner, and a dwindling lack of support from NBC. After burying this season on Saturday night, it now televises the final two episodes as a Sunday night finale – but on Memorial Day weekend. Even so, it builds to a finale worth watching: a faux version of the Tony Awards, in which the two musicals developed and partly presented on this show are vying for a Best Original Mu

2013

May

BEHIND THE CANDELABRA By David Bianculli

Michael Douglas stars as Liberace, and Matt Damon as one of his malleable young secret lovers, in this new HBO Films dramatization about a portion of the showy entertainer’s onstage and offstage life. Steven Soderbergh directs, and manages to capture both the boldly audacious outrageousness of Liberace’s Vegas performances and the quiet insecurities of his behind-the-scenes demeanor and lifestyle. Behind the Candelabra may sound like an excuse for mere attention-getting stunt casting

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