Luck, Season 1, Episode 6 Written by Robin Shushan Directed by Henry Bronchtein Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO In Paul Thomas Anderson’s Magnolia, an act of God ripped straight from the Old Testament seems to tear uncannily from the sky and set right the paths of a dozen or so misdirected souls, defying …
Luck, Season 1, Episode 5 Written by Scott Willson Directed by Brian Kirk Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO For a show initially mostly noted for its denseness and incomprehensibility, Luck seems awfully human in “Episode Five.” Possibly the least racing-intensive outing yet, this week principally works towards getting us better acquainted with a …
Luck, Season One, Episode Four Written by Jay Hovdey Directed by Phillip Noyce Airs Sundays at 10pm EST on HBO Several of the small legion of critics who have access to Luck‘s entire first season have been claiming for weeks that it’s in this fourth installment that the show really kicks it up a notch …
Luck, Season One, Episode Three Written by Bill Barich Directed by Allen Coulter Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO First, a word about the controversy surrounding the show that arose this week. For the uninitiated, it came out that two horses perished over the course of the filming of the show’s first season; as …
Luck, Season One, Episode Two Written by John R. Perrotta Directed by Terry George Airs Sundays at 10pm ET on HBO “The Ace is back in place.” To Luck‘s credit, it goes to great lengths to put all of its players on an even keel in terms of representation on the screen; that means the …
Luck, Season 1, Episode 1: “Pilot” Written by David Milch Directed by Michael Mann Airs Sundays on HBO More than most series – and even more than most HBO series – Luck is facing down a hell of a set of expectations. For the first time since the disastrously-received (but, in some corners, quietly revered) …
Thanksgiving is here (American Thanksgiving, at least), making it officially the Holiday Season. It’s a time for reflection, for pausing to appreciate those people and things we’re most grateful for, and for focusing on what’s really important in life. Television. Here are just a few of the many things I am grateful for this year. …
Boardwalk Empire, currently in its second season, has become one of the most buzzed-about shows on television. For those a bit behind the curve, here’s a beginner’s guide to get you caught up for the current season. Click (twice) to get a closer look!
True Blood Review, Season 4, Episode 10: “Burning Down the House” Written by Nancy Oliver Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO This week, on True Blood: Sookie lays the smack down, Jason feels guilty, Marnie talks Antonia back onto the ledge, Eric’s back, Tommy and Sam reconcile, Jesus crawls …
True Blood Review, Season 4, Episode 9: “Let’s Get Out of Here” Written by Brian Buckner Directed by Romeo Tirone Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO This week, on True Blood: Antonia shows her true colors, Sam goes camping, Debbie falls off the wagon, Mavis gets some closure, Sookie’s dreams get steamy, Tommy takes …
True Blood Review- Season 4, Episode 8: “Spellbound” Written by Alan Ball Directed by Daniel Minahan Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO This week on True Blood: Sookie and Eric get stoned on each other’s blood, Marcus shows some good, and later bad, judgment, Tommy takes the money and runs, Mikey’s Ghost Nanny takes …
True Blood, Season 4, Episode 7: “Cold Grey Light of Dawn” Written by Alexander Woo Directed by Michael Ruscio Airs Sundays at 9pm (ET) on HBO This week on True Blood: Antonia is back with a vengeance, Tara dumps her girlfriend and gets her necromancy on, Eric and Sookie have a humorous amount of …
Game of Thrones, Episode 10: ‘Fire and Blood’ Written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss Directed by Alan Taylor Generally, in a serialized drama, season finales can go one of two ways. They can try to be full of excitement and incident, or they can settle the pace a bit in order to effectively …
Darren Aronofsky is currently one of my five favourite American filmmakers working today, so needless to say, I was extremely disappointed when I discovered he would not direct the next Wolverine film. However in the long run it is probably for the best since it will give the director time to work on more …
Game of Thrones, Episode 9: ‘Baelor’ Written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss Directed by Alan Taylor When Cersei warned weeks ago that “you win or you die,” she wasn’t kidding. The tragedy of Ned Stark’s existence comes to the fore this week as the man who knows only honor gives up that quality …
Game of Thrones, Episode 8: ‘The Pointy End’ Written by George R. R. Martin Directed by Daniel Minahan Anyone remember what a mess it was when series originator Robert Kirkman wrote an episode of AMC’s The Walking Dead? You know, ‘Vatos’, the one with the benevolent Latino faux-gangsters and their nursing home of hope? If …
Game of Thrones, Episode 7: ‘You Win Or You Die’ Written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss Directed by Daniel Minahan The titular game begins in earnest this week as the closest thing the show has to an all-out hero, Eddard Stark, finds himself out-maneuvered – perhaps fatally – by the devious Littlefinger. “I …
Game of Thrones, Episode 6: ‘A Golden Crown’ Written by Jane Sepenson, David Benioff and D. B. Weiss Directed by Daniel Minahan Affairs take a turn for the (even) nastier this week (the first co-penned by genre TV veteran Jane Espenson, as well as frequent Deadwood helmer Daniel Minahan), as it becomes clear that things …
Game of Thrones, Episode 5: ‘The Wolf and the Lion’ Written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss Directed by Brian Kirk About the time The Mountain takes out his broadsword and bloodily decapitates his horse, it’s clear that Game of Thrones means business this week. Show creators Benioff and Weiss return to script an …
Game of Thrones, Episode 4: ‘Cripples, Bastards, and Broken Things’ Written by Bryan Cogman Directed by Brian Kirk At this point in the progression of Game of Thrones, we’re approaching the point at which a character/actor list becomes a dear accessory. With significant developments deployed over four distinct realms (Winterfell, King’s Landing, the North Gate, …
Knuckle Directed by Ian Palmer 2011, Ireland/UK, 97 mins. Knuckle did not start begin life as a documentary. Rather, director Ian Palmer met a bare-knuckle fighter at an Irish Traveller wedding in the mid-nineties and agreed to film an upcoming bout, in part to ensure that fair play was followed, but also to make some …
Game of Thrones, Episode 3: ‘Lord Snow’ Written by David Benioff and D. B. Weiss Directed by Brian Kirk Apologies for lateness; here in Canada there was an election to track. As before, please refrain from series spoilers in the comments. Thanks! One of the go-to lines for George R. R. Martin enthusiasts upon learning …
Game of Thrones, Episode 2: ‘The Kingsroad’ Written by David Benioff and D.B. Weiss Directed by Tim Van Patten I’ll be reviewing Game of Thrones every Monday for the length of the season; please keep in mind that I’ve not read George R. R. Martin’s book series, and I’m watching the episodes weekly as they …