January 2012

CHICAGO – NBC’s “Whitney” has become an online punching bag this season as Whitney Cummings’ mediocre sitcom dared invade the space occupied by programs like critical darlings “Community,” “30 Rock,” and “The Office.”

CHICAGO – A release date has been given for the reworked update of one of the best PlayStation 2 games ever released. On February 21 of this year, “Metal Gear Solid Snake Eater 3D” will be released to Nintendo 3DS players everywhere. Konami also confirmed the game will use the new Circle Pad Pro accessory on the 3DS.

CHICAGO – Big news in the TV world, and it is definitely not funny like a clown. Martin Scorsese’s classic 1990 film “Goodfellas” is officially being turned into a television series. Rumored for the better part of two years, the possibility for the series gained serious momentum about a year ago when Scorsese came on as a producer, joining the film’s original producer, Irwin Winkler, and the original writer, Nicholas Pileggi.

CHICAGO – If Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky hadn’t been in West Memphis, Arkansas to track the case of the young men who would become known as the “West Memphis Three,” one of them would almost certainly be dead and the other two would still be in jail.

CHICAGO – “Apollo 18” is the worst thing that a horror movie can be — BORING. Like deadly, biology class boring. It’s actually a chore to get through, especially the first act, which is nonsensical set-up given what we know has to happen eventually and the lack of quality writing. It would have made more sense to start with the “action” of the film, but then it would have been only about an hour long. And it still would have sucked.

CHICAGO – Nominees in the Feature Film category for this year’s Directors Guild Awards were announced this morning and featured very familiar names, with one that may come as a surprise. While four of the five nominees were also nominated for Best Director at the Golden Globes this year, David Fincher got the nod from the Directors Guild Awards.

CHICAGO – I must admit that I am of the school that thinks that “Mildred Pierce” is one of the best things that has ever played on television. It is art of the highest caliber, featuring one of the best performances in the history of the form and were it eligible it would have been in my top ten films of 2011. It’s that good. And the “Collector’s Edition” of the award-winning series lives up to that title, marking the first time that HBO has ever released a DVD/Blu-ray combo pack and weighing the production down with special features. It’s the first must-own of 2012.

CHICAGO – FOX has confirmed what everyone expected; the animated series “Allen Gregory” starring the voice of Jonah Hill is officially cancelled. The news came today at the FOX Television Critics Association meeting and press tour event in Pasadena.

CHICAGO – If NBC’s “The Firm” was viewed as a court case, the jury would probably be deadlocked. The problem is that most modern TV viewers don’t try a case again. If they consider a premiere a creative mistrial — something with elements that work but not completely engaging enough to make it an instant addition to the Season Pass Manager — they usually don’t come back.

CHICAGO – The year was 1959, and the film was “The Diary of Anne Frank,” based on the 1955 Pulitzer Prize winning stage play, which in turn was adapted from the famous diaries of a young girl hiding from Nazi occupiers in WWII Holland. Two actresses, Millie Perkins (Anne) and Diane Baker (her sister Margot), made their movie debuts in this renowned film.

CHICAGO – Good news for those passionate fans that feared the worst for several weeks: “Community” will apparently not be cancelled. After much speculation about the show due to its removal from NBC’s Thursday night lineup for the winter/fall, NBC has come out to say that the show isn’t getting the axe.

CHICAGO – The sorrows of war has been played out too many times in our so-called modern age. The excessively cruel Bosnian war – a three year conflict that introduced the vile term “ethnic cleansing” – is the background of Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”

CHICAGO – The exploration of culture, so tied to class and social standing, is not explored too often in mainstream films. In 2009, there was “Precious,” and this year the stand out is “Pariah.” Writer/director Dee Rees formulates a passionate story about a racial/social/orientation fish out of water.

CHICAGO – There’s no question that the “Final Destination” series is among the most lame-brained, ill-conceived, lazily executed franchises in Hollywood history. Every installment follows the exact same plot formula, from the opening catastrophe to the bleak epilogue. There isn’t a single surprise or quality scare in these pictures, and yet they still continue to make copious amounts of money.