OK, I loved Cloverfield. Lovedlovedloved it. Granted, the shaky-cam monster-takes-Manhattan movie gave me a bit of vertigo and yes, there were moments in the theater where I wasn’t sure if the popcorn was gonna stay down. But aside from that, good times. Even better on DVD, truth be told. The perspective is easier on the equilibrium, the extras explain some murky parts and you can freeze-frame to see if the final scene really does show the beast crashing into the water off Coney Island. It’s also one of those flicks so filled with actors you think you’ve seen before that I have decided to dedicate this column to my favorite movie game ever: “Where Do I Know Them From?” And we’ll start with…Executive-producer J.J. Abrams – Shame on you for now knowing this one. Alias. Lost. Felicity. All available on DVD.Michael Stahl-David — Rob, the lead dude whose surprise bon-voyage party is kiboshed by the rampaging goliath, who refuses to leave the ...
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There are 14 1/2 season sets coming out on September 4, so I hope you have money saved up.Universal has 30 Rock (available as the complete season, or two volumes), The Black Donnellys complete series set, the first season of The Real Housewives of Orange County, and the third season of The Office, which is my "Pick of the Week" for September 4. The 4 disc set includes all 24 episodes, commentary on select episodes, music videos, bloopers, and tons of other random stuff. I can't wait to dive in and watch the season in a day or two.Fox has the second season of Prison Break coming out, which contains 13 commentary tracks, a featurette on reinventing the series, plus a couple of other goodies. I enjoyed the first season, and I'm very interested to see how the second season fared. The also have seasons 1 & 2 of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia with Danny Devito.Warner Bros has the fourth season of Nip/Tuck, available on DVD, HD DVD and Blu-ray (yum, hidef TV!!), plus Robot Chicken (...
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It was fair to wonder why NBC put Kevin Reilly in the executive ejector seat just after signing him to a new multi-year contract. After seeing the debut performance of his replacement, Ben Silverman, at the Television Critics Association press tour, we're not wondering anymore.Instead of doing a rope-a-dope with reporters because he's only been in the job a month, Silverman came out with guns blazing, firing off one programming announcement after another. He even made a deal with legendary sitcom producer Norman Lear. That's red meat for the TCA, since many of its members love TV the way it used to be.He's even ignored the mandate NBC chief
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It was fair to wonder why NBC put Kevin Reilly in the executive ejector seat just after signing him to a new multiyear contract. But after seeing his replacement Ben Silverman's debut performance at the Television Critics Association press tour, we're not wondering anymore.Instead of the doing a rope-a-dope with reporters because he's only been in the job a month, Silverman came out with guns blazing, firing off one programming announcement after another. He even made a deal with legendary sitcom producer Norman Lear. That's red meat for the TCA, since many of its members love TV the way it used to be.He's even ignored the mandate that NBC chief Jeff Zucker publicly issued last year that the network was out of the business of programming 8 o'clock with new, expensive scripted sitcoms and dramas. The first scheduling move under Silverman's watch was moving the new, expensive scripted hi-tech thriller Chuck to Monday at 8, leading into Heroes and Journeyman and turning the night into ...
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In all of the hubbub being made over anticipating Sunday’s final episode ever of The Sopranos, it seems unfair to let The Shield end its penultimate season without some fanfare.As I noted when both shows returned within a week of each other in April, these dark dramas are among TV’s best. As their seasons unfolded, they lived up to my expectations. Quoting myself at the time: “The Shield is first-rate pulp fiction, blisteringly intense as it grabs you by the throat. The Sopranos is more like classic literature, achieving a level of artistry with its aching yet witty realism while delivering violent jolts that sneak up on you like a sucker punch.”Both of these series ask us to empathize with pretty despicable characters, no doubt. But it’s hard to imagine any Shield fan not cheering Tuesday night for Vic when he realized he’s now sitting on a trunk full of leverage, the key to save his job. Likewise, who didn’t cringe as Shane fell further into the ...
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