Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
Equal parts whimsical and bittersweet, “Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium” is a family-friendly movie that will charm youngsters. Dustin Hoffman stars in the titular role of an eccentric 243-year-old owner of a magical toy store.
“I Love New York” is as trashy as the role Pollard plays. Unlike ABC’s “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” which at least goes through the motions of picking suitable contenders, VH1 has stacked the deck against New York (and, let’s face it, the men). Their nicknames (Token, Trendz, White Boy) are more interesting than they are.
Despite some outdated clothes and hairdos, “Wings” has a timeless quality that makes repeat viewings of the sitcom worthwhile. A comedy with heart, the show–which originally aired during the 1993-1994 season–is filled with humor, great acting, and a cast that shares genuine chemistry. At its core, “Wings” is about the relationship between the Hackett brothers.
For all intents and purposes, Noel and Liam Gallagher are Oasis. So in Oasis: Lord Don’t Slow Me Down, it doesn’t really matter that the rest of the band (which includes Ringo Starr’s son Zak Starkey on drums) wasn’t in the lineup when the group made it big in 1995 with songs such as “Wonderwall.” The two-disc DVD offers a documentary as well as a concert filmed in the group’s native Manchester, England, in 2005. In its heyday, Oasis was at the top of its game.
A marriage, a murder, and a mole all play relevant roles in the fourth season of CSI: Miami. Easily the most stylistic show in the CSI franchise, the series stars David Caruso (NYPD Blue) as Horatio Caine, the lead investigator with the Miami Police Department. With his black clothing, Caine stands out in a sea of pastel-clad colleagues that include ballistics expert Calleigh Dusquene (Emily Procter), underwater recovery whiz Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez), and medical examiner Alexx Woods (Khandi Alexander).
The fifth season of CSI: Miami begins with revenge: Lead CSI Horatio Caine (David Caruso) and underwater recovery whiz Eric Delko (Adam Rodriguez) travel to Brazil to avenge the murder of Horatio’s wife Marisol (who was Eric’s sister). While there, Horatio also helps his sister-in-law and nephew after his brother is murdered by drug lords. (Never mind that the crime-fighting duo seem to have carte blanche to do as they like in a foreign country.) The scenes are beautifully shot and the rhythm of the first few episodes are reminiscent of classic Miami Vice.
Equal parts “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Nancy Drew,” “Veronica Mars” is smartly written and well-acted. This third and final season of the critically acclaimed (but viewer-challenged) series ends as all good shows should–by leaving viewers wanting more and wondering how their favorite characters will fare in the future.
Thirty-one years after Heart released its breakthrough album “Dreamboat Annie,” the Seattle-based band has made a DVD companion to that record. The concert performance for “Heart: Dreamboat Annie Live” was recorded in April 2007 at the Orpheum Theater in Los Angeles. The rest of the DVD includes documentaries on the band, along with interviews with Ann and Nancy Wilson–the sisters who are Heart.
The fourth season of NCIS begins with one of the investigators being charged with assassinating an Iranian prisoner. Former Mossad intelligence agent Ziva David (Cote de Pablo), who was introduced last season, has been framed, and there’s only one man who can clear her name. Unfortunately, lead investigator Jethro Gibbs (Mark Harmon) has retired to Mexico. But since Harmon is the star of the show, Gibbs returns to the United States to help out his colleague.
With his film adaptation of his play of the same name, Tyler Perry asks the question, “Why did I get married?” The answer is different for each of the four couples featured in this relationship comedy, which includes Janet Jackson as a psychologist whose own marriage is on shaky ground. Not known for subtlety, Perry hammers in the point that no marriage is perfect–just as no one is completely blameless.
The third season of CSI: New York is full of murder, mayhem, and mystery. And luckily for lead investigator Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise), it also includes a little romance in the form of the lovely Dr. Peyton Driscoll (Claire Forlani), a medical examiner who joins the staff. All 24 episodes from the third season, which aired on CBS during 2006-2007, are included on this six-disc box set. And moreso than the previous two years, this season has a taut, cohesive feel. The characters have bonded and come into their own, especially Detective Don Flack (played by Eddie Cahill, who made his name playing the boytoy of both Jennifer Aniston on Friends and Sarah Jessica Parker on Sex and the City).
The second season of “Girlfriends” offers more drama than the sitcom served up during its debut year. But it also offers plenty of laughs, though they are sometimes bittersweet. Joan (Tracee Ellis Ross, daughter of Diana Ross), a sensible attorney who’s unlucky in love, is back, along with her assistant Maya (Golden Brooks), her cheerful roommate Lynn (Persia White), and their often thoughtless boy crazy pal Toni (Jill Marie Jones).
Set in two dichotomous worlds, “Shanghai Kiss” tells the story of a Chinese-American actor who doesn’t quite fit in anywhere. In his hometown, he’s considered a foreigner even though he’s American. And in his family’s native China, his mannerisms make him stick out in sea of familiar faces.
“It’s an amazing time for me,” says Courtney Thorne-Smith. Besides starring in the popular ABC sitcom “According to Jim,” the 39-year-old actress is happily married, pregnant with her first child and has just made her debut as an author with the juicy novel Outside In.
Set against a backbeat of reggaeton music (which combines elements of reggae, hip-hop, and salsa), the film has its work cut out. The genre is little known to much of the film’s demographics (teenagers), and Grandberry is likeable, but he’s not a convincing leading man. His role requires simmering sexuality; he provides adorableness, but the moviegoer is never convinced that he is anything but a nice boy.
Set in Saudi Arabia, “The Kingdom” is a political action thriller with good acting and wonderful visuals. Its so-so script, though, at times meanders aimlessly until a good explosion jolts the viewer’s attention back to the screen. Jamie Foxx stars as FBI special agent Ronald Fleury, who leads an elite team into Saudi Arabia to find the terrorists who attacked American employees working in the Middle East.
Released more than a decade past its peak in popularity, Pearl Jam proves it still has what it takes to captivate an audience with the concert film Immagine in Cornice. Culled from footage taken throughout the band’s 2006 tour of Italy, the film captures the preternaturally youthful Eddie Vedder mesmerizing audiences with his full, rich voice.
Sharing more in common with the chatty feel of “Felicity” than the action-driven “Lost” or “Alias,” the ubiquitous J.J. Abrams has another gem with the witty and bittersweet (but short-lived) drama “What About Brian.” Both seasons are included in this five-disc set, though the first year produced just five episodes.
In a perfect world, “Good Luck Chuck” would’ve captured the humor of “Superbad” and the raunch of the “American Pie” films. But what we’re left with, instead, is a raunchy film with an anemic storyline. Cursed as a child with a hex that prevents him from finding true love, Charlie “Chuck” Logan (Dane Cook) finds that the women he dates find the men of their dreams immediately after they’ve dumped him.
Beginning with the death of a senator and ending with a marriage, the second season of Bones builds on the momentum created during the Fox drama’s debut year. Bones’ sophomore season (which includes all 21 episodes that originally aired during 2006-2007) centers on the collaborations between FBI special agent Seeley Booth (David Boreanaz, Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) and forensic anthropologist Dr. Temperance Brennan (Emily Deschanel), whom Booth has nicknamed “Bones.”