. . . But Skipping the Commercials Before Sarah Palin beats me to it, I thought I’d propose my very own addition to the English language (as far as I know): “Synch-ron-ate”: taping a show, then watching it — without commercials — so as to finish at the same time as the live telecast. So, if I...Read More
Want to know if Colin Firth — nominated for a “Best Actor” Oscar for “The King’s Speech” — is truly a great actor? Given his status as the runaway favorite, here’s my criterion: it’s whether he can convince the audience and viewers that he’s actually surprised if he wins tonight. (And yes, he delivers a...Read More
“What Were They Thinking??” Department Fans of “Breaking Bad” (I am) will get a shock of recognition reading the following news item, from a couple weeks ago: An ill-conceived effort to get rid of a pesky bird at a cookie factory with a dose of bird shot backfired when a worker at a dough machine was hit...Read More
Uns(tr)ung Ensemble Walter White. Skyler. Jesse Pinkman. Hank Schrader. Walt Jr. “Gus” Fring. Saul Goodman. Mike (the Fixer). Jane Margolis. Jane Margolis’ father. The Assassins. Badger. Gail (the assistant chemist). And Tuco. Especially Tuco — perhaps the most electrifying villain since Kaiser Soze from “The Usual Suspects.” If a series can be judged by how many...Read More
Three Reasons to Go Here are the reasons to go to your local cineplex to see Clint Eastwood’s new movie, “Hereafter,” starring Matt Damon and Cecile de France: 1. An unforgettable (and horrifying) depiction of a tsunami as it obliterates an unidentified Southeast Asian resort town; 2. The coiffure sported by main character Cecile de...Read More
Review, “Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps” I went to see Oliver Stone’s last film the other night. And by that, I don’t mean his most recent film — I literally mean, the last film he is likely to make (at least with a big studio budget, at least for a long while). That’s because it...Read More
