One-season wonders: ‘Hellcats’ (2010-11) (TV review)
With the fall TV season off to a rough start, it’s beginning to look like this might be a good time to catch up on older shows. Although I started watching “Hellcats” (2010-11, The CW) on its […]
Romance
Lohman breaks out in Mike White’s ‘Pasadena’ (2001-02)
TV shows lost to history (Review): This little-seen character drama/mystery marks a high creative point for actress Alison Lohman and creator Mike White.
First episode impressions: ‘UnReal’ (TV review)
To be honest, the only reason I set my DVR for the first episode of “UnReal” (9 p.m. Central Mondays on Lifetime) is that Shiri Appleby stars in it. If I were to pretend to be deeper […]
‘The Fault in Our Stars’ romanticizes cancer … beautifully (Movie review)
Have the Kleenex ready for “The Fault in Our Stars,” a story about a teen stricken with the death sentence of cancer. Or have your stress pills ready. This movie, based on the popular young-adult novel by […]
‘Drinking Buddies’ delves into the emotional mechanics of love (Movie review)
“Drinking Buddies” is proof that a movie can be enjoyable to watch even if it fails to make a resonant thematic point. It realistically shows how romances and relationships operate thanks to naturalistic, almost improvisational, performances […]
Spectacular performances make ‘Spectacular Now’ worth seeing (Movie review)
Screenwriters Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber have carved out a niche by making movies in familiar genres but with a fresh perspective. “(500) Days of Summer” (2009) was a romance movie with two rare […]
John’s 10 favorite TV couples of all time (Commentary)
In a double dose of weak sauce, Entertainment Weekly’s writers recently chose “Friends’ “ Ross and Rachel as the greatest TV couple of all time, and readers responded by choosing some random couple from “Glee” […]
In this quiet gem, the friendships are the ‘Perks of Being a Wallflower’ (Movie review)
As time goes by, we all forget how awful high school was, but “The Perks of Being a Wallflower” (now on DVD) brings it all rushing back — and with that accomplished, it proceeds to remind […]
‘Pitch Perfect’ hits the right notes; ‘Silver Linings Playbook’ falls a bit flat (Movie reviews)
The 2012 college a cappella comedy “Pitch Perfect” (now on DVD) is a nice snapshot of youth culture as it features some of the expected cliques and snobbery — but not too much. When a “Star Wars”- […]
First episode impressions: ‘The Carrie Diaries’ (TV review)
My approach to reviewing “The Carrie Diaries” (7 p.m. Central Mondays on The CW) will be different from most since I’ve never seen a single episode of “Sex and the City.” Granted, these voiceover-laden early adventures of […]