And a welcome return for the best cast member's best character:
Mr. Buscemi's episode also included the best commercial in forever:
And Mr. Samberg's best digital short in a long while too:
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Showing posts with label TV. Show all posts
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Best SNL Skit so far this Year
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
DVD and Blu-ray Releases - 10/18/11
Bad Teacher - #
Batman: Year One - #
A Better Life - #
Clone Wars: Season 3 - #
Monte Carlo - #
Pearl Jam Twenty - #
Peter Gabriel: New Blood - #
Pirates of the Caribbean 4 - #
Red State - #
V: Second Season - #
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases
Cape Fear
The Crow
The Goonies
The Guns of Navarone - *
Kuroneko
Willy Wonka & Chocolate Factory
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
DVD and Blu-ray Releases - 10/4/11
African Cats - #
Buck
Fast Five - #
Ken Burns: Prohibition - #
Scream 4 - #
Bored to Death: 2nd Season - #
The League: Season 2 - #
The Walking Dead: 1st Season - #
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases
Almost Famous - *
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
The Cider House Rules
Cinema Paradiso - *
Dead Alive
Harakiri (Criterion)
Jackie Brown
Last Exit to Brooklyn
Life is Beautiful
The Lion King - *
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
Pulp Fiction - *
Salo (Criterion) - ^
Space Jam
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
^ - Crap Alert
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
DVD and Blu-ray Releases - 9/27/11
Carlos (Criterion) - #
Good Neighbors - #
The Hour - #
Jeff Dunham: Controlled Chaos - #
Transformers: Dark of the Moon - #
Click below for this week's TV and Blu-ray releases
TV:
Army Wives: 5th Season
CSI: 11th Season
CSI: Miami - 9th Season
CSI: NY - 7th Season
How I Met Your Mother: Season 6
Hung: 2nd Season - #
King of Queens: 9 Season Set
Kojak: Season 2
Law & Order: SVU - 12th Year
Married With Children: Complete Series
The Middle: 2nd Season
New Tricks: Season 5
Blu-ray:
Basket Case
Ben Hur
Footloose
Mimic
A Nightmare on Elm Street 2 & 3
Phantom Carriage (Criterion)
Torso
# - also on Blu-ray
Thursday, September 22, 2011
DVD and Blu-ray Releases - 9/20/11
Bridesmaids - #
The Kennedys - #
The River Murders
Set Up - #
Spooky Buddies - #
Body of Proof - 1st Season
Castle: 3rd Season
Hawaii Five-O: 1st Season - #
The Mentalist: 3rd Season
Mike & Molly: 1st Season - #
Modern Family: 2nd Season - #
Raising Hope: 1st Season
Click below for this week's Blu-ray releases
Breakfast at Tiffany's - *
Dead Heat
Dumbo - *
Le Beau Serge (Criterion)
Les Cousins (Criterion)
The Others - *
Scrooge
Vamp
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
DVD and Blu-ray Releases - 9/13/11
Conan O'Brien Can't Stop - #
Hesher - #
The Hills Have Eyes - #
Incendies - #
The Last House on the Left - #
Meek's Cutoff - #
Spartacus: Gods of the Arena - #
The Tempest - #
Thor - #
True Legend - #
Click below for this week's Blu-ray and TV releases
TV:
The Big Bang Theory: 4th Season
Blue Bloods: 1st Season
Camelot: 1st Season
Glee: 2nd Season
Grey's Anatomy: 7th Season
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: 6th Season
Love Wedding Marriage
Outsourced: Complete Series
Private Practice: 4th Season
Rescue Me: 6th Season
Sanctuary: 3rd Season
Supernatural: 6th Season
Blu-ray:
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Citizen Kane - *
The Count of Monte Cristo
Don't Say a Word
The Frighteners
Halloween II
Manhunter - *
My Life as a Dog (Criterion) - *
O Brother, Where Art Thou? - *
Poltergeist II
Star Wars: Complete Saga
Star Wars: Original Trilogy - *
Star Wars: Prequel Trilogy
3 Women (Criterion) - *
Trainspotting - *
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
DVD and Blu-ray Releases - 9/7/11
Assassination Games
The Entitled
Everything Must Go - #
Hanna - #
Last Night - #
X-Men: First Class - #
Click below for this week's TV and Blu-ray releases
TV:
Community: 2nd Season
Criminal Minds: 6th Season
Fringe: 3rd Season - #
The Good Wife: 2nd Season
The Office: Season 7 - #
Parks & Recreation: Season 3 - *
Two and a Half Men: 8th Season
Blu-ray:
The Caine Mutiny - *
Children of the Corn
Dressed to Kill - *
40 Days and 40 Nights
Hellbound: Hellraiser II
Hellraiser
The Hills Have Eyes
Scarface
Scream Trilogy
Straw Dogs - *
United 93 - *
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Monday, August 29, 2011
DVD and Blu-ray Releases - 8/30/11
Bereavement - #
5th Quarter - #
Forks Over Knives - #
In a Better World - #
The Perfect Host - #
Prom - #
Scooby Doo & the Ghosts
Scooby Doo & the Pirates
Scooby Doo & the Robots
Scooby Doo & the Zombies
Skateland - #
Wonders of the Universe - #
Wrecked - #
Click below for this week's TV and Blu-ray releases.
TV:
Cougar Town: 2nd Season
Desperate Housewives: 7th Season
House MD: Season 7 - #
Nikita: 1st Season - #
90210: 3rd Season
Parenthood: Season 2
Sons of Anarchy: Season 3 - #
Vampire Diaries: 2nd Season - #
Blu-ray:
Blood Simple - *
Coen Brothers Collection - *
Complete Jean Vigo (Criterion) - *
Final Destination 2
Final Destination 3
Good Will Hunting - *
If . . . (Criterion)
Madea's Big Happy Family
Miller's Crossing - *
Nightmare Before Christmas
Orpheus (Criterion) - *
Raising Arizona - *
Strike - *
Top Gun - *
# - also on Blu-ray
* - Doctor approved
Friday, August 26, 2011
HBO Sunday Night - 8/21/11
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Bi-Sexual
Series 8, Episode 7
Larry meets a lady (Amy Landecker - A Serious Man) at an art show and finds out she is also interested in Rosie O'Donnell. They start a competition to win her over and the baseball metaphors start flying - especially when Larry starts equating Viagra with steroids. Larry also has issues with a Japanese restaurant. And Leon moves out to NY to mooch off of Larry some more. Just looking at O'Donnell wears me out and her voice is even worse. The baseball metaphors were frequently heavy-handed. Larry's interactions with the Japanese characters were hilarious but the whole episode felt forced. Weird how much Landecker looks like Cheryl Hines. B-
Entourage: Motherf*cker
Season 8, Episode 5
Vince gets interviewed by a Vanity Fair journalist (Alice Eve) and immediately falls for her. Johnny finally decides to join Dice on strike. Ari messes up his family situation again. And Eric sleeps with Sloan's ex-stepmother. The series verged into soap opera territory yet again with another rinse and repeat episode. Not much happened - let alone anything interesting. There were no laughs and no drama. But with only 3 episodes left, it looks like I'll stick with it to the bitter end. C
Monday, August 15, 2011
HBO Sunday Night - 8/14/11
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Hero
Season 8, Episode 6
The show picked up right where the last one ended - on the plane from LA to NY - where LD trips on his shoelaces and inadvertently becomes a hero. After arriving in New York, he runs into Ricky Gervais, who will insult Larry, steal his girl, and take some of his money. If I actually liked Gervais, I might have enjoyed the episode more. He has never worked for me outside of Extras and the UK version of The Office. His arrogance and constant condescension during his standup routines and talk show appearances have ruined him . . .
As for the show, it verged into to frustrating territory this week with implausible occurrences (the dinner party seating arrangement) and annoying characters (mainly the waiter) wasting great performances from David and Susie Essman (Jeff's wife). Gervais is no substitute for Super Dave or Richard Lewis. B
Entourage: The Whiz Kid
Season 8, Episode 4
Vince has to take a drug test and turns to Billy for help. Ari uses Dana to get back at his wife. Nora Dunn's marriage counselor returns to gang up on Ari. And Scott Caan uses a fake fifth appendage as a telephone. The bulk of the short episode (less than 20 minutes without credits) was spent on Vince's urine test - an uncomfortable issue and an unusual place for the show to go with so few episodes left. Turtle whined the whole time. Rob Morrow was underused. At least a paranoid Johnny was good for a couple of smirks. And the great Rhys Coiro came through again. B-
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
HBO Sunday Night - 8/7/11
Entourage - One Last Shot
Season 8, Episode 3
Vince tries to reach out to a narcotics anonymous colleague; Ari goes on his first date in years; Turtle loses his job and his girl; and Dice stands by his threat to quit without a pay raise. Immediately after a brief exchange about Ari getting his groove back, the series actually does when Ari turns on a blues song in his car and then calls an old friend. The show would go on to feature a depressed Billy Walsh in a hoodie, a Jamie Kennedy self-parody, and a ballsy, stunning ending. Vince's earnestness is growing tiresome and definitely less engrossing than his previous cocksure swagger. Kevin Dillon remains the consistently best actor of the main four, reacting believably to all the bad news around him. Now that they've completed the laborious set up for the season, let's hope they can continue the surprising turns. B
Curb Your Enthusiasm - Vow of Silence
Season 8, Episode 5
Jeff and Susie are moving to New York for the summer while their dog Oscar is on death's door. Larry has issues with people who park their car outside the lines and those who "chat-and-cut". He's got even bigger issues with Tessler (Michael McKean) - who wants Larry to participate in a fundraiser for special needs kids. And then there's Vance (Michael Hitchcock), who's taken a vow of silence and will no doubt break it at some point due to Larry's shenanigans . . .
Larry getting caught in a lie is always hilarious and it happened several times this episode. Also memorable was Larry's quick dismissal of Eat Pray Love and the stylized Pinkberry flashback. David has had 3 co-writers this season for the first time and they seem to be following his patented story structure (perfected on "Seinfeld") with multiple, seemingly unrelated, topics brilliantly brought together. Some have complained that it makes the show less real, but I prefer a well-thought out premise over ideas that go nowhere. And it never hurts to end an episode on an exasperated, dejected Richard Lewis. A-
Friday, August 5, 2011
HBO Sunday Night - 7/31/11
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Smiley Face
Season 8, Episode 4
Larry's new girlfriend (Hung's Rebecca Creskoff) is the hostess at his favorite restaurant and their inevitable breakup will force him to find a new joint. Meanwhile, LD's assistant has been spending time with her sick father which is hurting his workplace organization. And Larry's office kitchen is under siege by a new tenant. David's curmudgeonly charm was firing on all cylinders again - even as he unapologetically offended his assistant, her mom, his hostess girlfriend, her roommate, and his dermatologist. I particularly enjoyed the multiple S-bombs at a wake . . .
The show's use of 80s TV icons is an interesting choice (with Harry Hamlin and Michael Gross this week joining Curtis Armstrong from 2 weeks ago). They're playing real characters - a new CYE producer must be a classic TV fan. There seemed to be too many plot threads this week and the later scenes seemed rushed. But I'd rather have TV trying too hard than just going through the motions. B+
Entourage - Out With a Bang
Season 8, Episode 2
Which brings us to the lethargic, tired, redundant Entourage. Almost nothing happened this week that you didn't either know already or couldn't care less about (I'm looking at you, Sloan). Andrew Dice Clay has worn out his welcome in just a few minutes - becoming an unnecessary burden on Johnny. At least Dice pointed out the ridiculousness of Turtle having hot girlfriends. Maybe the vanished Alex doesn't like Turtle's new cachexia. As Billy Walsh, Rhys Coiro seems to be the only one with any real energy, trying to bring each scene to life. I still love the Ari-Lloyd scenes, but now that they're dealing with infidelity, they're considerably less fun. C+
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
HBO Sunday Night - 7/24/11
Curb Your Enthusiasm - Palestinian Chicken
Season 8, Episode 3
Who would've guessed Curb Your Enthusiasm would have out-sexed the season premiere of Entourage? As Larry prepares for a 5-man golf tournament, two members ask him to confront their own family members about annoying tics. Of course, his "social assassination" attempts will have unintended consequences. Meanwhile, Funkhouser has become a devout Jew (complete with a yarmulke). And Jeff and Larry enjoy the best chicken in LA - made by Palestinians . . .
The political discussion reflecting the Muslim Mosque being built at Ground Zero was a nice touch. Larry seems to be incredibly relaxed (and less angry) this season, making his interactions more enjoyable. This is especially true with Shara, a Palestinian woman he meets. Flirting brings out the best in him. The first-ever Curb sex scene and its aftermath (with Funkhouser) are instant classic scenes in another classic episode. A
Entourage - Home Sweet Home
Season 8, Episode 1
In contrast, Entourage was too tame and sterile during its season premiere. Vince is released from rehab which forces an annoying Johnny to dispose of everything that is alcohol or drug related. And without the parties and women, these guys are infinitely more boring. The writers have contrived a way to get all of the guys together under one roof during this last season (including Ari). Let's hope this set-up episode is a springboard for some great interactions. On a positive note, E will be Sloan-less (for awhile) and Andrew Dice Clay will be given some serious supporting time. And the great Billy Walsh has returned. B-
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Safe House
Season 8, Episode 2
Richard Lewis returns with a stripper girlfriend. When LD, Leon, Funkhouser, and Jeff go see her show, complications ensue. Meanwhile Larry gets involved with a battered women's shelter and racial profiling abounds . . .
This hilarious episode was perfectly structured and had great moments of improvisation. Excellent acting from the aforementioned foursome was supplemented by many women (including former SNLer Michaela Watkins and the "marm" Miriam Flynn). Flynn easily held her own against everything LD threw at her. Great to see Curtis Armstrong again. A-
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Curb Your Enthusiasm - The Divorce
Season 8, Episode 1
Larry is finalizing his divorce with Cheryl but he's not sure he'll get the best deal since the Hebrew ethnicity of his lawyer is in question. He buys dozens of girl scout cookie boxes but isn't sure he wants them. And he inadvertently causes the divorce of Marty Funkhouser . . .
The season opener was awkward in many ways. The LA Dodgers went bankrupt earlier this summer which made the Gary Cole subplot anachronistic. Larry and Cheryl making each other laugh was out of place for a divorcing couple. And the bit with the tampon was revolting (twice), but you do have to respect LD really going for the visual joke. There were several good moments (including Susie's monologue about a potential divorce and the look on Funk's face when his wife decides to go on his London trip). LD's jabs at liberal hypocrisy and liberal racism are still refreshing. B
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Best and worst of 2011 (Halfway Point)
It's been a rough 6 months with uninteresting superhero crap served to us at the theater weekly. Is there really anywhere to go after the Scott Pilgrim deconstruction? I imagine Christopher Nolan has one more miracle up his sleeve before the genre is put on ice. The Oscars were a beating for me, but lots of people seem to love The King's Speech. 2 sporting events ended spectacularly and as usual, music seems to get stronger when there's a recession on and people get some perspective and understanding. TV continues to outpace film on average. So, let's give out some mid-year awards.
Best Song: Rolling in the Deep, Adele - an instant classic. An astonishing voice for such a young Brit.
Best New Band: Mumford and Sons
Best TV moment: A corn-rowed Ron Swanson in a kimono.
Best Sports Moment: The Dallas Mavericks beating the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
2nd Best Sports Moment: The Green Bay Packers beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV.
Best TV movie: Too Big to Fail (HBO)
A behind the scenes look at the financial meltdown in the fall of 2008, directed by Curtis Hanson and featuring great performances by William Hurt, Paul Giamatti, Billy Crudup, and Topher Grace. People talk and talk in scene after scene, but it remains a fascinating, stimulating exercise throughout. Somehow, Hanson makes sense of it all. B+
Best Movie Movie: I will defer to Lawyer, who's more up to date. He's got Hall Pass at the top with a B+ and Bridesmaids, Midnight in Paris, and Buck receiving B's. Tree of Life is presumably in the mix.
Worst Oscar Nominated Film: Rabbit Hole - an unwatchable couple (Nicole Kidman and Aaron Eckhart) deal with the tragic loss of their 4 year old son differently. The lack of new insights or observations make this melodrama tedious very early on. C-
Worst DVD/Blu-ray Release: I Love You Philip Morris - Jim Carrey has lots of gay sex, calls all Texans stupid, and overacts worse than both Ace Venturas combined. The film itself is repetitive and unnecessarily confrontational with its audience. An unmitigated disaster. D
Best DVD/Blu-ray Release (new film): The Social Network - all the special features you could hope for, including a director's commentary filled with humility and knowledge.
Best Blu-ray Release (classic film): Taxi Driver - like taking a time machine to mid 70s New York. The film looks perfect and the extras (some old, some new) are plenty for even the most rabid fan (like myself). Never knew Albert Brooks's birth name was Albert Einstein!
Best Movie Poster: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (see below)
Best Movie Trailer: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (see here) - Fincher + Zeppelin = Intellectual and spiritual ecstasy for Doctor.
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Sunday, March 13, 2011
SNL - Zach Galifianakis Returns
Zach Galifianakis hosts the best SNL show for the second year in a row.
Continue reading this postFriday, March 11, 2011
2 New Shows - Portlandia and Onion News Network
On IFC (Independent Film Channel)
Portlandia is a sketch comedy show written by and starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein that skewers Portland, indie-ness and extended hipster adolescence. I was skeptical initially, but it is really funny. Armisen has created a host of funny characters that really nail a large swath of Gen-Xers. My favorite sketch is when 3 hipsters are all trying to outread each other - here is the "did you read" sketch (this one hits a little close to home).
The Onion News Network successfully brings the biting genius of The Onion to television. The tone is just right and the many sketches that do work more than make for the 20% that don't. Here's a sketch on "Mexting" , here's one on Black History Month, and here's one on teen 'toping' - worth your time.
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