From its inception back in the 1980s, when MTV actually played music videos, the annual Video Music Awards show has been little more than an excuse to hold a big party, present a (hopefully) memorable live performance or two, and present a bunch of statuettes in a bunch of categories, none of which matters in the least to viewers or the performers. But it persists – and tonight, while dealing with social distancing and music artists who will be phoning it in more literally than u

2020

Aug

THE CIRCUS: INSIDE THE CRAZIEST POLITICAL SHOW ON EARTH By David Bianculli

How will The Circus cover the week of the Republican National Convention? And the other breaking news events of the past seven days, from yet another shooting by police to yet another protest march and gathering? Only one way to find out: Tune in, as I’ll be doing…

2020

Aug

LOVECRAFT COUNTRY By David Bianculli

Each episode of Lovecraft Country, at least every one of the installments I’ve seen in advance, further the ongoing story line while still evoking the spirit of a different genre film classic every week. This week, Leti (the magnetic Jurnee Smollett) buys her sister Ruby (Wunmi Mosaku) an old, run-down Victorian home on Chicago’s North Side, with plans to have Ruby run it as a boarding house. But the neighbors are hostile to the idea – and so are some of the ethereal

2020

Aug

WE HUNT TOGETHER By David Bianculli

The slow pace of this murder mystery miniseries works in its favor, because the filmmakers have used the time to reveal, very slowly and deliberately, key insights about their primary four characters. The two sets of complicated people have a lot in common: both the British investigators and the killers they’re pursuing are a white woman paired with a black man, and, as we’ve come to learn, the women in both relationships are more flawed, less kind, and aggressively abrasive. It took

2020

Aug

LAST WEEK TONIGHT WITH JOHN OLIVER By David Bianculli

Last week, deconstructing the Democratic National Convention, John Oliver was both very funny and extremely incisive. This week, he gets his chance to do the same with the Republicans… an absolute DVR Alert!

2020

Aug

SUMMER UNDER THE STARS: EVA MARIE SAINT By David Bianculli

Today on TCM’s “Summer Under the Stars,” it’s a 24-hour helping of movies starring or featuring Eva Marie Saint. One of her finest films arrives at 6 p.m. ET, when TCM televises 1954’s On the Waterfront, in which she stars opposite Marlon Brando. But watch, also, for another, which director Brad Bird, guest co-host of TCM’s Saturday night showcase “The Essentials,” makes room for an Alfred Hitchcock movie, 1959’s North by North

2020

Aug

THE WAY BACK By David Bianculli

This 2020 movie stars Ben Affleck in a dramatic role that has unfortunately uncomfortable parallels to the actor’s real life. In The Way Back, he plays a former young phenom (in this case, a high school basketball player) who tries to get his life back on track, many years later, by returning to his old high school to coach. Affleck, after winning a screenwriting Oscar with Matt Damon for their young breakout film, Good Will Hunting, in which they both also starred, rod

2020

Aug

AFTER TRUTH: DISINFORMATION AND THE COST OF FAKE NEWS By David Bianculli

This 2020 documentary about “Fake News” will be shown by CNN tonight – unless, in this weekend of storm coverage, post-convention feedback, and continued outrage about ever-increasing cases of police brutality and shootings against people of color, “Real News” causes it to be pre-empted.

2020

Aug

#SAYHERNAME, JUSTICE FOR BREONNA TAYLOR By David Bianculli

Already available on YouTube, this new documentary is presented tonight on BET – preaching to the choir, as it were, but presenting a perspective, and focusing on a tragic story and issue, that should be seen by everyone.

2020

Aug

1967: 'FUGITIVE' RICHARD KIMBLE STOPS RUNNING By TV WW

On this day in 1967, Richard Kimble stopped running...

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