During a recent episode of the new NBC show “Parenthood,” the patriarch of the family was jokingly reminiscing with his wife about a family trip they had taken years earlier when one of their children got sick and vomited on
It’s hard to go into a movie called “The Losers” with high expectations. The title is silly and likely turned some viewers off (who wants to go see a movie called “The Losers,” anyway?). Fortunately, the title does not do
Several days ago, I had the opportunity to attend an advance screening of the HBO film “You Don’t Know Jack” about the life of Dr. Jack Kevorkian. The television movie has a strong cast including Academy Award winners Al Pacino
Even though the show is currently in its ninth season and its panel of judges has changed throughout the years, “American Idol” remains one of the most popular programs on television today. Its combination of young talent, smart judges and
It’s easy to be cynical about the movies adapted from Nicholas Sparks’ stories. Earlier this year there was “Dear John” (which I reviewed here), a sentimental, adolescent, old-fashioned romance. And so is “The Last Song,” but this is a stronger
When I recently interviewed David Nixon, the director of “Letters to God,” he told me he wanted to make movies with a message. His newest film certainly has a message, a message about hope and faith that will appeal to
Towards the end of my interview with David Nixon, the director of the new film “Letters to God” (in theatres everywhere tomorrow), he told me that he and many of the people he works with “are not interested in making
When I first saw the trailer for Ben Stiller’s new film “Greenberg,” I hoped for the best. With the recent Oscar win for Sandra Bullock, an actress who clearly stepped out of her comfort zone to play the lead role
Although I have not watched every season of “American Idol,” I really enjoy the show when I do. The singing competition often showcases some great undiscovered young singers. However, there are some parts of the show I dislike. For instance,
The “Wimpy Kid” is wimpy no more. Two weekends ago, in its opening weekend,the new film based on the book “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” beat Jennifer Aniston and Gerard Butler’s new movie “The Bounty Hunter” and Jude Law’s new
Over the past several years, many major movie stars have appeared in films about the war in Iraq. Even though many of those movies, including the recent “Green Zone,” failed dismally at the box office, movies like that film arguably
Bryan Greenberg is a young, talented but largely unknown actor who has been featured in a couple of promising projects. From the highly enjoyable film “Prime” to the short-lived show “October Road,” Greenberg has shown his potential in a number
There is a scene in the movie “The Crazies” where a couple of men investigate to see if there was a plane crash in the area. Instead of going for easy thrills (i.e. people popping out of dark places to
On paper, aspects of “Brooklyn’s Finest” may sound like parts of a familiar cop film. The film focuses on the lives of three cops, one of whom is only a few days from his retirement. We have seen generic characters
Critics seem to use every opportunity they can to attack former Governor Sarah Palin and her family. Even though she is no longer in elected office, some seem unable to control their disdain for Ms. Palin, even when their criticisms
In the 20th season premiere,”Survivor”nice guy Colby Donaldson is literally dragged through the sand by a member of the opposing team. Colby’s face is covered in sand as his opponent drags his body to help his own team win the
The new CW program “Life Unexpected” is not what you would expect from a channel that brings you the updated version of “Melrose Place.” “Unexpected” does not have the corny teenage drama of “One Tree Hill” or the manipulations and
Last week there were a few nice surprises when the Oscar nominations were announced. The media mainly focused on the surprise Best Picture nomination of “The Blind Side,” but there was another surprise in the best supporting actress category: Maggie
Many people know what they should expect when they are go to a film adapted from a Nicholas Sparks book. Sparks, the author of such romantic books as “The Notebook” and its sequel “The Wedding,” is a well-known author who
When the Academy Award nominations were announced, there were ten nominees for best picture (above the usual five) and the category included both small movies and large commercial successes. The biggest movie nominated in that enlarged category was “Avatar,” the
You may not know who Matt Long is but you might have seen the young actor in recent advertisements for his new ABC television show “The Deep End.” Long has appeared in a couple of major motion pictures including “Ghost
One would think that after seven years on the air, audiences would know who Jack Bauer is. Yet, as the new season of “24” began last week, we saw Bauer in a different light. He was not fighting terrorism; he
The two highest-grossing movies in the United States from 2009 were “Avatar” and “Transformers 2.” The special effects and the anticipation before both films helped propel these films to earn hundreds of millions of dollars. Much of the media coverage
Last night, the 67th Golden Globes Awards were given out by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA). According to the HFPA mission statement, one of the goals of the organization is to “recognize outstanding achievements by conferring annual Awards of
On Sunday, March 7th, 2010, the best picture winner at the Academy Awards will be announced. Although there are ten nominees in that category this year (up from the usual five), they will likely not include the following: “Twilight,” “The
