I’ve refrained from commenting on this new Sacha Baron Cohen series, to this point, because the first two episodes have left me conflicted about my own reactions. As always, I admire Cohen’s inventiveness at getting people to reveal usually hidden parts of themselves by interacting with his often outrageous alter egos. But so far, in Who Is America?, the results have not made me laugh. Indeed, the more successful he is at exposing the prejudices and stupidity of others, my dominant r

2018

Jul

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER By David Bianculli

Whether it’s President Trump’s still-hypothetical border protection, or just a comic recap of recent events from a high and clever vantage point, I want John Oliver on that wall. I need John Oliver on that wall. And tonight, he’s back…

2018

Jul

VICTORIA AND ABDUL By David Bianculli

Dramas about young Queen Victoria are all the rage these days, but as recently as 2017, the movies exulted and examined a much more mature Queen Victoria. In Victoria and Abdul, Judi Dench plays the monarch on the eve of her Golden Jubilee – and in that ripe old age, finding herself unexpectedly amused by a clerk from India assigned to assist her. Abdul, played by Ali Fazal, challenges and alters several of her long-held notions of class and monarchy. It’s a charming character study,

2018

Jul

PATHS OF GLORY By David Bianculli

This 1957 film, directed and co-written by Stanley Kubrick, is one of the most powerful war movies ever made – and one of the most powerful anti-war movies as well. Set during WWI, in the trenches dug by French soldiers in hopes of impeding the German invasion towards Paris, Paths of Glory tells of a French unit commander, played by Kirk Douglas, whose men are ordered on an ostensible suicide mission to advance towards the German line. Some rebel and retreat, and the commander must then de

2018

Jul

FACEBOOK WATCH DEBUTS 'SACRED LIES' By David Hinckley

It’s easy to waste a lot of time on Facebook. It would not be a waste of time to tune in Sacred Lies on Facebook Watch...

2018

Jul

ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: This women-in-prison series premiered in 2013, when an original series presented by Netflix was an attention-getting rarity. Today, as it presents all of Season 6, Orange Is the New Black has a tougher time getting noticed, partly because Netflix now averages about a half dozen premieres or season premieres each week. But Orange, starring Taylor Schilling, is one of the granddaddies (or grandmommies) of Netflix originals, and has begun laying the groundwork for a series finale i

2018

Jul

THE GREAT BRITISH BAKING SHOW By David Bianculli

If this were The Great Simpsons Baking Show, tonight’s focus would be “D’oh!” But it’s British, so it’s Dough! – specifically, sweet dough. And since that’s the theme of tonight’s episode, you might even say it’s the program’s… raisin d’etre. Check local listings.

2018

Jul

GET OUT By David Bianculli

This wonderfully unpredictable 2017 sleeper hit thriller is written and directed by Jordan Peele, who surprised and thrilled audiences with a movie that could have played as an extended installment of The Twilight Zone. Daniel Kaluuya stars, and gives a riveting, empathic performance, in a thriller that also benefits from great work by Bradley Whitford, Catherine Keener, Allison Williams, Lakeith Stanfield, Stephen Root, Betty Gabriel and others. If you still haven’t seen Get Out, now&rsqu

2018

Jul

TRIAL & ERROR: "LADY, KILLER" By David Bianculli

It’s summer, and Thursday nights are especially thin, TV-wise, so I’ll mention this series again. It premiered for the season last week with a double helping, and offers up two episodes again tonight. Kristin Chenoweth stars as this season’s accused murderer, and she’s fun, but this is no Pushing Daisies. If there’s a joke you don’t see coming a mile away, you’re not watching. Or you’re not awake.

2018

Jul

SWEDISH DICKS By David Bianculli

SEASON PREMIERE: Perhaps because it premiered in the U.S. on the Pop network, this Swedish-U.S. co-production completely eluded me when it surfaced last year. But here it is for Season 2, with 10 new episodes of a dark comedy series co-created by and starring Peter Stormare. (Think the woodchipper from the original Fargo movie.) Stormare plays one of two unlicensed Swedish private eyes trying to find, and solve, cases in Los Angeles, and supporting players and recurring co-stars include such sur

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