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

 
 
2015
Jan
17
 
 
Alfred Hitchcock set this thriller in the volatile political era leading up to WWII – which, at the time, since the time was 1940, meant it was as current as current could be. Joel McCrea stars in the title role, as a reporter chronicling world events with passion and bravery. An on-screen notation at the start of the film dedicates it to foreign correspondents everywhere – a dedication that’s just as meaningful, and appropriate, today.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
17
 
 
SEASON PREMIERE: I’m not sold yet on this very modern-feeling retelling of the Three Musketeers story. It’s not the anachronistic brashness and sassiness – that was done, very effectively, by director Richard Lester’s movies back in the Seventies. But the chemistry and plots, for Season 1 at least, were a little lacking. Tonight, Season 2 begins, and perhaps with a midcourse correction.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
17
 
 
The second half of Season 40 for SNL begins tonight, with the camera-shy Sia as the musical guest, and the anything but shy Kevin Hart as the guest host. Hart is pictured here; Sia is not.  
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
16
 
 

PASADENA, CA – Chuck Lorre is about to lose one sitcom on CBS, with the imminent departure of Two and a Half Men. But that still leaves him with three – and Thursday, the prolific comedy creator was honored with an all-star, all-shows salute…

 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
16
 
 
Only a couple of artists can claim a PEGOT – Peabody, Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony...
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
16
 
 
NEW SEASON PREMIERE: Like Downton Abbey, this series crosses the Atlantic after being seen in the United Kingdom, but with a fan base on both sides of the ocean eager for more episodes, whenever they’re delivered. Netflix, which added Season 1 of The Fall to its roster not too long ago, beginning today provides the entirety of the just-completed Season 2. Gillian Anderson continues her role as Stella, the investigator heading the hunt for serial killer Paul (Jamie Dornan), whose identity s
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
16
 
 
Neil Simon, saluted on Fridays this month, is represented tonight by another roster of film comedies – beginning with this 1977 movie, which, unlike many Simon films to that date, was not based on one of his hit Broadway plays, but was an original comedy written specifically for the screen. Simon’s wife at the time, Marsha Mason, stars, opposite Richard Dreyfuss, who won a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of a struggling young actor.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
16
 
 
New York Metropolitan music director James Levine conducts this version of Mozart’s comic opera, staged by Richard Eyre and reset to take place in 1930s Spain. There is some continuity to this Met production: Ildar Abdrazakov has starred in the title role before, to much acclaim,. And Eyre previously staged a Carmen in 2009, which, like this new production, is showcased on PBS. Co-stars include Marlis Petersen as Susanna and Peter Mattei as Count Almaviva. Check local listings.
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
16
 
 
SERIES PREMIERE: This new Syfy series, while revisiting the world of Terry Gilliam’s dizzyingly complex 1995 time-travel drama, is neither a sequel nor a prequel. Twenty years after the original film hit theaters, this TV version is a reboot of sorts, but with the same general premise: a time-traveler is sent back from the future with a mission to contain an apocalyptic virus. This time, the traveler – played by Bruce Willis in Gilliam’s film – is portrayed by Aaron Stanf
 
 
 
  
 
 
2015
Jan
16
 
 
Tonight’s guests include actor-columnist Josh Gad and film director Kathryn Bigelow – but this week, as in most weeks, the headlines, and the reactions to them by Bill Maher and guests, are the real draw here.