“Legend of the Black Scorpion”
Tackling William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, director Xiaogang Feng presents a unique take on the bard’s famous play with the action drama “Legend of the Black Scorpion,” which is beautifully filmed and well acted.
Category: Reviews
“Friday Night Lights” — Season 4
The fourth season of “Friday Night Lights” begins with Coach Taylor (Kyle Chandler) in what appears to be a lose-lose situation. Fired from Dillon High School as the Panthers’ football coach, Taylor is offered a position coaching the East Dillon Lions. No matter how the school board tries to spin it with platitudes about both schools being equal, East Dillon is rundown, has no funds, and has a football squad that’s a team in name only.
“My Boys” — The Complete Second and Third Seasons
The second and third seasons of My Boys find Chicago sports columnist P.J. Franklin (Jordana Spiro) exploring a few relationships. But the show’s title doesn’t refer to her suitors, but rather her best friends, who–save for one woman–happen to all be men (who sometimes think like boys).
“Mad About You” — The Complete Fourth Season
In the fourth season of Mad About You, which originally aired on NBC during 1995-1996, Paul (Paul Reiser) and Jamie (Helen Hunt) Buchman deal with issues that could potentially break up their marriage. As they start planning a family, they are faced with infertility. When both decide to shake up their careers, one of them loses their job. And then there is the possibility of infidelity, when both Jamie and Paul are tempted outside of marriage.
Go Away With … Neil Sedaka
Music legend Neil Sedaka is back on the road performing concerts to promote his latest album, “Music of My Life.” Based out of New York and Los Angeles, the 71-year-old singer-songwriter loves to travel, whether it’s a family vacation to Hawaii or a staycation in his beloved Big Apple. Next on his list of places he’d like to visit? “It seems I’ve been everywhere, but I’ve never been to Eastern Europe,” Sedaka says. “(I’d like to travel to) Poland, the Czech Republic and Romania one day.”
“Law & Order: Criminal Intent”: Season Five
The fifth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent marks the appearance of Detective Mike Logan (Chris Noth). Noth originated the role in the 1990 premiere of Law & Order–the series that spawned the popular franchise. This time he’s partnered with no-nonsense detective Carolyn Barek (Anabella Sciorra). The pair are in the same unit as Detectives Robert Goren (Vincent D’Onofrio) and Alexandra Eames (Kathryn Erbe).
Go Away With … John Grogan
When John Grogan wrote Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World’s Worst Dog, he knew he had written a good book. But he didn’t realize he had written a book that would become a phenomenon. The tale of Grogan’s naughty, but lovable dog, not only has spawned a movie starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson, but also a series of children’s books starring the irrepressible Labrador Retriever.
“The Real Housewives of New Jersey” — Season One
The conceit of Bravo’s The Real Housewives franchise is to showcase women who make the fictional characters on ABC’s Desperate Housewives seem like amateurs. And in that sense, The Real Housewives of New Jersey is successful. The women certainly are colorful, but as interesting? No. Still, it’s easy to see why this series is popular. The women are pretty enough, plenty catty, and some are even downright diabolical. They’re kind of what Heidi from The Hills might grow up to become 10 or 15 years down the line.
“Tell Them Anything You Want”
Tell Them Anything You Want is an intriguing documentary focusing on Maurice Sendak, the curmudgeonly children’s author who wrote Where the Wild Things Are. Filmmakers Spike Jonze (who directed the film version of that book) and Lance Bangs have a compelling subject to work with in Tell Them Anything You Want. Viewers don’t have to be fans of Sendak’s books to enjoy this film.
“Kyle XY” — 3rd and final season
Originally airing on ABC Family in 2009, the third season of “Kyle XY” begins with promise. Kyle (Matt Dallas) effortlessly goes into heroic mode when he has to rescue his girlfriend Amanda (Kristen Prout) from a covert organization. When he himself is endangered, he relies on his fellow lab-created “sister” Jessi XX (Jaimie Alexander) to come to his aid.
Go Away With … Sung J. Woo
With his critically acclaimed debut novel “Everything Asian,” Sung J. Woo succinctly and poignantly captures a year in the life of a 12-year-old immigrant who tries to navigate life in the United States, while also trying to understand his estranged father. A resident of Washington, N.J., the 38-year-old author chats about his recent trip to Alaska, how he gets the best hotel deals and why he often feels like a tourist — even when he’s not far from home.
“Bones” — Season 4
If the fourth season of “Bones” on DVD gets off to a slightly jumpy start, it’s because the first four episodes are missing. They were actually included as a bonus feature on the third season’s boxed set, in an effort to pad that truncated season.
“Bring It On: Fight to the Finish”
Like its predecessors in the “Bring It On” franchise, “Bring It On: Fight to the Finish” focuses on a perky cheerleader who’s taken out of her comfort zone and ends up excelling in her new environment.
“House, M.D.” — Season 5
“House” begins its fifth season on a somber note. With his girlfriend, Amber, dead, Dr. James Wilson (Robert Sean Leonard) finds his friendship with the cantankerous Dr. Gregory House (Hugh Laurie) to be more strained than ever and temporarily leaves the hospital where they work. He eventually returns, which is a good thing, because Wilson is the closest thing House has to a moral compass. The writers of this drama do an admirable job of inserting elements of well-placed comedy into the often-intense vignettes.
Go Away With … Sophie Kinsella
Best known for her series of “Shopaholic” books, including the bestselling “Confessions of a Shopaholic,” Sophie Kinsella is using technology to promote her latest novel, “Twenties Girl.” The avid traveler is staying put (temporarily) in England to participate in a series of Skype events with fans across the United States. This is a change of pace for the 39-year-old author and fashionista. Whether it’s taking a quick weekend trip to England’s Cornwall, vacationing in exotic Oman or enjoying a margarita at New York’s La Esquina, the former financial reporter is always up for a good trip.
‘Shopaholic’ creator Sophie Kinsella confesses sometimes she’s ready to chuck it all
Madeleine Sophie Townley is known as Mrs. Wickham at her home in England, where she lives with her husband and their three sons. But to fans worldwide, she is known as Sophie Kinsella, author of the best-selling “Shopaholic” books. “Confessions of a Shopaholic” is the best known of that series, thanks in part to the recent film adaptation of the same name.
“Designing Women” — Season 1
The mark of a great sitcom is whether the jokes and tone stand up to time, despite any outdated hairstyles and fashion. “Designing Women” is a great sitcom.
“Ashes of Time Redux”
By Jae-Ha Kim Amazon.com March 3, 2009 A complicated, sparse, and beautiful film, Ashes of Time Redux is the slightly tweaked version of Wong Kar Wai’s 1994 film. Like some of his other work, the […]
“Girlfriends” — Season 6
The most poignant episodes revolve around Toni and her husband Todd. After the birth of their daughter Morgan, they struggle as new parents trying to keep their marriage intact. The show does a nice job of depicting a mom who loves her child, but doesn’t immediately feel the bond that a mother is supposed to have for her baby. And it depicts how fear of the unknown can ravage a relationship.
“Murder at the Academy Awards” by Joan Rivers
Can we talk? Joan Rivers’ latest book — a murder mystery set in hedonistic Hollywood — is a fun mystery where the reader can’t help but hear Rivers’ raspy voice narrating the drama. That’s not a bad thing in this over-the-top whodunit.