Why is Katniss Everdeen so reluctant to be a hero? (And why ‘Gotham’ features the rarest of heroes)
Movie and TV commentary: John Hansen examines the odd trend of fictional cinematic heroes who are initially unwilling to fight for what’s right.
Television
John’s top 10 songs from ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ so far (TV commentary)
Two new shows I kept on my viewing schedule have already been canceled – “Wicked City” and, for all intents and purposes, “Minority Report,” which had its episode order cut to 10. But the TV […]
‘The Walking Dead’ teaches us about the value of life (TV commentary)
Sunday’s episode of “The Walking Dead” featured cinematographically beautiful scenes of Morgan and his mentor, Eastman, practicing the martial art of aikido, along with powerfully acted moments of Morgan begging Eastman to kill him. But the most […]
Pre-‘Lost’ Matthew Fox stars in moody ‘Haunted’ (2002)
One-season wonders (TV review): Lost in a glut of post-“X-Files” shows from the time, “Haunted” is a like a less dire “Millennium.”
First episode impressions: ‘Wicked City’ (TV review)
“Wicked City” (10 p.m. Eastern Tuesdays on ABC) is a mix of one thing I really like (20th century period pieces) and one thing I don’t care for (murder mystery shows where we are told who […]
‘Supergirl’ makes a slick but unimaginative debut
First episode impressions (TV review): “Supergirl” struggles to make a case for its existence.
‘Terminator’ flashback: ‘The Sarah Connor Chronicles’ Season 1 (2008) (TV review)
Watching “The Sarah Connor Chronicles” Season 1 (2008) after reading the post-“T2” comics and novels, it seems certain that producer Josh Friedman is doing a loose adaptation of those materials. However, listening to his episode commentaries, it […]
First episode impressions: ‘Fargo’ Season 2 (TV reivew)
Executive producer and lead writer Noah Hawley positions his chess pieces for another year of murder, crime-syndicate maneuvering and Minnes-ooh-ta accents and quirks in the premiere of “Fargo” (10 p.m. Eastern Mondays on FX) Season 2. This […]
First episode impressions: ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ (TV review)
After a fairly awful September of new show premieres, October is off to a much better start with “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” (8 p.m. Eastern Mondays on The CW), a delightfully note-perfect mashup of genres from Rachel Bloom, who […]
First episode impressions: ‘Quantico’ (TV review)
The pilot episode of “Quantico” (10 p.m. Eastern Sundays on ABC) slathers on the twists and turns until the series’ ultimate premise is set up the final sequence. As such, it’s impossible to review this episode without […]