First episode impressions: ‘The Following’ (TV review)
“The Following” (8 p.m. Central Mondays on Fox) has all the makings of a hit: Kevin Bacon in his first lead TV role, TV super-producer Kevin Williamson at the helm, a ton of hype, and a […]
Timothy Zahn blends ‘Ocean’s 11’ with ‘Star Wars’ in ‘Scoundrels’ (Book review)
Timothy Zahn started his “Star Wars” career with five books dealing with the big picture of galactic war and politics, but his last five entries have been more personal, including two about Outbound Flight, one about stormtroopers and […]
‘Pitch Perfect’ hits the right notes; ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ falls a bit flat (Movie reviews)
The 2012 college a cappella comedy “Pitch Perfect” (now on DVD) is a nice snapshot of youth culture as it features some of the expected cliques and snobbery — but not too much. When a “Star Wars”- […]
Fond farewell: ‘Fringe’ (TV review)
To me, one of the most exciting things about the end of “Fringe” is that I can now look forward to rewatching the show on DVD someday. For five seasons, I watched every episode as it aired […]
‘The Killing’ isn’t dead after all! Plus: 9 other resurrected shows (TV commentary)
With the awesome news earlier this week that AMC changed its mind about “The Killing,” which it canceled a few months ago but has now resurrected for a third season (to air later this year), […]
A look back at the best albums of 2012 (Music commentary)
Making a list of my favorite albums of a year is fairly simple: I think of which discs I spun most often in my Jeep in 2012, then subtract the ones that weren’t released in […]
First episode impressions: ‘Continuum’ (TV review)
With “Fringe” winding down, “Continuum” (7 p.m. Central Mondays on Syfy) is a possible successor among sci-fi shows about the fight against futuristic totalitarian governments. Or is it? The premiere episode starts out that way, but by […]
First episode impressions: ‘The Carrie Diaries’ (TV review)
My approach to reviewing “The Carrie Diaries” (7 p.m. Central Mondays on The CW) will be different from most since I’ve never seen a single episode of “Sex and the City.” Granted, these voiceover-laden early adventures of […]
‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Han Solo’s Revenge’ (1979) (Book review)
Timothy Zahn’s Han Solo-centered “Scoundrels” was recently published, and like every book about the smuggler, his Wookiee sidekick and his faster-than-she-looks ship, it will have a high bar to clear. I’m probably not alone among “Star Wars” […]
All 22 episodes of ‘Buffy the Vampire Slayer’ Season 6 (2001-02), ranked
TV review: “Buffy” mostly abandons metaphors and goes for the straight-ahead drama in its penultimate TV season.