First episode impressions: ‘Ben and Kate’ (TV review)
Nat Faxon, the Ben in “Ben and Kate” (7:30 p.m. Central Tuesdays, Fox) is a mix of Ed Helms from “The Office” and the more likable side of Adam Sandler. He’s a complete goofball, but — like […]
Author: John Hansen
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The Thrawn Trilogy Volume 3: The Last Command’ (1993) (Book review)
“The Last Command” (1993) is a rich, rousing final chapter to Timothy Zahn’s Thrawn trilogy, but looking back on it through the lens of the prequels, it’s perhaps most notable for what the author doesn’t include. […]
First episode impressions: ‘Parks and Recreation’ Season 5 (TV review)
“Parks and Recreation” (8:30 p.m. Central Thursdays, NBC) started off its fifth season this week with an episode that was ambitious in terms of setting (Washington, D.C.) and casting (a few Senatorial cameos), but also stayed […]
First episode impressions: ‘The Mindy Project’ (TV review)
When “The Office” started to go south a few years ago, I hoped the show would shift its focus to underused secondary characters such as Mindy Kaling’s Kelly Kapoor. That never happened, and I gradually […]
First episode impressions: ‘Revolution’ (TV review)
At first glance, “Revolution” (9 p.m. Central Mondays, NBC, starts Monday) can be safely categorized with “Dark Angel,” “Lost,” “Terra Nova,” “Falling Skies” and “The Walking Dead” as a post-apocalyptic show (in the case of “Lost,” it […]
First episode impressions: ‘Parenthood’ Season 4 (TV review)
“Parenthood” (9 p.m. Central Tuesdays, NBC) starts Season 4 with a combination of a pitch-perfect life threshold yarn (Haddie goes off to college), a funny family-dynamic oddity (Crosby finds his son praying) and a believable issue […]
Fall TV 2012: 5 new shows and 5 returning shows to watch (Commentary)
Ah, fall TV. And, in a nice old-school twist, the Entertainment Weekly Fall TV Preview issue highlighted a single show on its cover rather than using a collage (the featured show: “Homeland,” which seems worthy, […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘The Thrawn Trilogy Volume 2: Dark Force Rising’ (1992) (Book review)
Obi-Wan Kenobi’s offhand mention of the Clone Wars in “Star Wars” set off years of speculation that was finally, officially brought to rest with 2002’s “Attack of the Clones.” But it’s easy to forget that […]
‘Friends with Kids’ ’ strong premise doesn’t ring true on screen (Movie review)
“Friends with Kids” (now on DVD), one of those movies with a premise much better than its execution, has a great jumping-off point: Pals Julie (Jennifer Westfeldt, who also wrote and directed) and Jason (Adam Scott […]
‘The Possession’ is a stylish, if unsurprising, exorcism movie (Movie review)
“The Possession” doesn’t stand apart from its possession/exorcism genre brethren in any obvious way. It’s not even the first movie of this kind to be based on a true story. And the situation gets more murky […]