All 20 episodes of ‘The X-Files’ Season 9 (2001-02), ranked
TV review: The original run of “The X-Files” bows out in respectable fashion as Doggett and Reyes take the lead. But Mulder and Scully also pop in.
First episode impressions: ‘Love Bites’ (TV review)
I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the two genres that lend themselves to vignette-style TV shows are horror (the various incarnations of “The Twilight Zone” and, from a few years back, “Fear, Itself”) and […]
Flippin’ sweet! ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ and 10 other shows to watch in 2011-12 (TV commentary)
Intimidated by the list of nearly 50 new shows coming out in the fall? Never fear, I have done the hard work for you of watching the trailers for all the network offerings (and believe […]
‘Hangover Part II’ even stupider — and funnier — than the original (Movie review)
From the opening scene where Phil (Bradley Cooper) calls his wife from a Bangkok rooftop and says “Honey, it happened again,” “The Hangover Part II” takes off as a brilliantly implausible, over-the-top mystery-comedy. It’s better than the […]
Luke Skywalker must die? Not necessarily (‘Star Wars’ books and comics commentary)
An entertaining “Star Wars” fandom debate broke out recently, prompted by FANgirl’s provocatively titled blog post “Luke Skywalker Must Die.” Jason at The ForceCast podcast blasted her post a couple episodes ago (May 20) and then he and his […]
Preston and Child refresh the James Bond template with Gideon Crew in ‘Gideon’s Sword’ (Book review)
There is no sword in “Gideon’s Sword” (February 2011, hardcover). There’s probably some literary reason for the title, but still, I kept expecting a sword to figure into the plot. That’s the only criticism I […]
10 movies John wouldn’t mind seeing this summer (Commentary)
Although I dislike about 90 percent of wide releases nowadays, I still enjoy paging through the Entertainment Weekly summer movie preview and sifting out a few potential gems. Here are 10 summer movies I wouldn’t […]
‘Insidious’ sneaks up on you with its scares
Movie review: James Wan’s old-school horror film is scaring up plenty of new fans.
‘Lone Gunmen’ (2001) emphasizes funny side of ‘X-Files’
One-season wonders (TV review): Three non-traditional leading men prove they can carry the show in this comedy-leaning spinoff.
War: It’s not so fantastic, even in ‘Star Wars’ (Movie commentary)
Is the killing of a human being ever a cause for celebration? That question came to mind when I saw sports fans celebrating the death of 9/11 terrorist attack mastermind Osama bin Laden on Sunday night during […]