First episode impressions: ‘UnReal’ (TV review)
To be honest, the only reason I set my DVR for the first episode of “UnReal” (9 p.m. Central Mondays on Lifetime) is that Shiri Appleby stars in it. If I were to pretend to be deeper […]
Romance
‘The Fault in Our Stars’ romanticizes cancer … beautifully (Movie review)
Have the Kleenex ready for “The Fault in Our Stars,” a story about a teen stricken with the death sentence of cancer. Or have your stress pills ready. This movie, based on the popular young-adult novel by […]
‘Drinking Buddies’ delves into the emotional mechanics of love (Movie review)
“Drinking Buddies” is proof that a movie can be enjoyable to watch even if it fails to make a resonant thematic point. It realistically shows how romances and relationships operate thanks to naturalistic, almost improvisational, performances […]
Spectacular performances make ‘Spectacular Now’ worth seeing (Movie review)
Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have carved out a niche by making movies in familiar genres but with a fresh perspective. “(500) Days of Summer” (2009) was a romance movie with two rare […]
John’s 10 favorite TV couples of all time (Commentary)
In a double dose of weak sauce, Entertainment Weekly’s writers recently chose “Friends’ “ Ross and Rachel as the greatest TV couple of all time, and readers responded by choosing some random couple from “Glee” […]
In this quiet gem, the friendships are the ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’ (Movie review)
As time goes by, we all forget how awful high school was, but “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (now on DVD) brings it all rushing back — and with that accomplished, it proceeds to remind […]
‘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”- […]
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 […]
A couple of quirky love stories: ‘Moonrise Kingdom’ and ‘Safety Not Guaranteed’ (Movie reviews)
Two stylized films recently released on DVD take unconventional approaches to love stories. In both cases, the ambition slightly outstrips the execution, but both “Safety Not Guaranteed” and “Moonrise Kingdom” held my attention and are worth a rental. The […]
‘Ruby Sparks’ missing that extra spark (Movie review)
With the premise of a writer whose fictional dream girl magically comes to life, “Ruby Sparks” (now on DVD) seemed like a movie I would love. As it turns out, I merely liked it. Certainly, there is […]