On ‘Beverly Hills, 90210’ DVDs, the song doesn’t remain the same (and that’s a problem)
TV commentary: The show is ruined by not having its original music. Classics are replaced by generic tracks that scream “straight-to-video movie.”
A lot more than 7 great words in George Carlin’s autobiography (Book review)
I wouldn’t be capable of starting a successful religion; I don’t have the requisite charisma, ambition or ability to deceive. But I do have my own private religion, and I call it Carlinism, based on […]
Where are we? ‘Lost’s’ final season starts tonight (TV commentary)
It’s appropriate that “Lost’s” two-hour final-season premiere (8 tonight, ABC) airs on Groundhog Day. Like the Bill Murray movie, “Lost” has done a lot of circular storytelling. First the characters were in 2004, then they jumped back to […]
6 ways J.D. Salinger influenced modern pop culture (Book commentary)
Like everyone, I think “Catcher in the Rye” is a brilliant book. I think J.D. Salinger’s other three books (actually compilations of his magazine short stories and novellas) range from very good to OK — […]
‘The Invention of Lying’ is great, and that’s the truth (Movie review)
Sort of like “Idiocracy” or that Mel Gibson picture where he could read women’s minds, “The Invention of Lying” (now on DVD) posits an alternate reality and then has fun exploring it with a series of “What […]
‘Adam’ shows how hard Asperger’s is to portray on film, but it’s a noble effort (Movie review)
Asperger’s syndrome is an internally dramatic condition. Outwardly, the person comes off as antisocial, but that’s not the inner truth. Aspies don’t provide facial expressions that cue the insight into their minds. Also, they have […]
Midseason preview: My favorite actresses return, but will their shows be any good? (TV commentary)
Three of my favorite actresses return to TV this midseason, and that’s probably a good thing, but I’m a little ambivalent. In TV, I often start to think of a performer as being their character, […]
‘24’ Season 8 starts tonight. Is there reason for optimism? (TV commentary)
“24” Season 8 starts with a two-hour premiere at 8 Central tonight (another two-hour block follows at 7 p.m. Central Monday). I haven’t been this NOT excited about a new season of “24” since the series […]
If the passage of time was no object, what sequel would you like to see? (Movie commentary)
In a recent Entertainment Weekly article, James Cameron said that although the computer-generated characters in “Avatar” are aliens, he could’ve just as easily created real-looking humans in the computer.
5 random questions for which I have no good answer (Commentary)
1. In “Return of the Jedi,” when Luke and Leia swing to safety, what is the rope attached to? It can’t be attached to the barge they are blowing up, because then it would snap […]