On tonight’s episode, Howard comes across a letter written to him by his long-gone father – and agonizes over whether to read it. Admittedly, Howard has it tough in the parenting department. Not only is his father absent, but his mother, though present in a big way, has never been seen. At least not by us viewers.

2013

Mar

THE WALKING DEAD By David Bianculli

On Thursdays, AMC has begun repeating The Walking Dead in sequence, but with a difference: with the color drained from the image, so that it’s presented in old-school black and white. That gimmick alone may not be enough reason to revisit the show, but here’s a better reason: Tonight’s episode is the one set at the Center for Disease Control in Atlanta, where Rick and his band of desperate survivors beg for answers, and help, from a barricaded scientist played by Noah Emmerich

2013

Mar

BOOGIE NIGHTS By David Bianculli

This 1997 Paul Thomas Anderson movie has a ridiculously talented cast – many of whom were much smaller stars when this period movie about the porn industry was filmed. Mark Wahlberg stars as a young man with a natural gift for that particular film genre, Burt Reynolds plays the producer who discovers him, and the supporting cast includes – ready? – William H. Macy, Julianne Moore, Don Cheadle, John C. Reilly, Heather Graham and more.

2013

Mar

NATHAN FOR YOU By David Bianculli

This daily feature is called Bianculli’s Best Bets, so this particular recommendation is fair, even though it comes from my 29-year-old son, Mark, who asked last night if I had seen this odd new show co-created by and starring Nathan Fielder. I hadn’t, but based on Mark’s enthusiastic description, I’ll tune in tonight, and urge you to do the same. In this reality-show spoof (well, he’s spoofing, but his guests are serious, like a Daily Show report), Fielder plays an

2013

Mar

THE FIGHTER By David Bianculli

This 2010 movie is directed by David O. Russell, who also showed how well he worked with actors in the subsequent Silver Linings Playbook. Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams star as a determined Boston pugilist and his equally tough girlfriend. They were nominated for Oscars, but didn't win — though two supporting actors in The Fighter did: Christian Bale and Melissa Leo, as Wahlberg's brother and mother, respectively.

2013

Mar

AMERICAN IDOL By David Bianculli

This week begins the competition by the Top 10 finalists – so if you’ve wearied of Idol and stayed away thus far, this is the night to check back in and see whether this new season, and its new judges, is worth going along for the ride. So far as the talent goes, we’ll see. As for the judges – the one flat note comes from Mariah Carey, who seems to have studied sentence structure and brevity from Sarah Palin.

2013

Mar

WHITNEY By David Bianculli

It takes something special for me to recommend Whitney, and tonight’s episode has something special: a guest appearance by Dean Norris of Breaking Bad, who shows up to play Alex’s father, who inadvertently barges in on Alex and Whitney’s honeymoon.

2013

Mar

THE HELP By David Bianculli

This 2011 movie gave juicy roles to Emma Stone, Viola Davis and Octavia Spencer, but also provided standout parts for many of this film’s supporting actresses. Allison Janney as the mother of Stone’s Skeeter, for example, and Bryce Dallas Howard as the unlikable Hilly. But pay special attention, this time around, to Jessica Chastain (pictured) as the curvy Celia – quite a departure from Chastain's determined federal investigator in Zero Dark Thirty.

2013

Mar

THE AMERICANS By David Bianculli

Last week, Elizabeth and Phillip (Keri Russell, Matthew Rhys) were abducted by their own agency and tortured for information – which they refused to reveal, thus passing the paranoid loyalty test. A furious Elizabeth ended up pummeling, and almost drowning, her handler (guest star Margo Martindale), and this week they meet again, with Elizabeth offering an apology – of sorts. “I’m sorry,” she says, “I didn’t kill you.”

2013

Mar

THE OFFICE – COMPLETE SERIES (SPECIAL 10TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION) By David Bianculli

This isn’t the NBC version of the workplace mockumentary series. It’s the original British version, written and directed by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant...Whether or not you’re a fan of the Americanized version, you should love this one. It’s got more laughs, better performances...

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