Season two of HBO’s science-fiction western “Westworld” is upon us, which means it’s time for critics and audiences to once again tie themselves in knots trying to decipher this puzzle box of a show. It’s set in a futuristic theme park in which sophisticated, lifelike robots known as “hosts” populate a fantasy version of the Wild West. In season one, which aired back in the fall of 2016, the hosts started to evolve and even achieve sentience. But the timeline isn’t always what we think it is. And even the characters are not always who we think they are. There are mysteries within mysteries within mysteries. Are critics excited for a return to that world on April 22?
As of this writing the second season of the show has received a score of 75 on MetaCritic based on 21 reviews. The show also has 94% freshness on Rotten Tomatoes based on 33 reviews,...
As of this writing the second season of the show has received a score of 75 on MetaCritic based on 21 reviews. The show also has 94% freshness on Rotten Tomatoes based on 33 reviews,...
- 4/22/2018
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Darren Criss spent five seasons charming viewers and critics with his performance as Blaine, the charming and clean-cut crooner on Ryan Murphy‘s hit musical-comedy “Glee.” Now, Criss is turning the tables on audiences by playing a character who is anything but charming: serial killer Andrew Cunanan in Murphy’s new FX anthology series, “The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story,” and industry observers are taking notice. In her review of the series, USA Today’s Kelly Lawler wrote that Cunanan is “brought to life with disturbing energy and commitment by Criss, who has decidedly left his wholesome ‘Glee’ character in the dust.” Will Emmy voters take notice of Criss’s killer performance?
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” follows Cunanan’s destructive path which led him to murder famed designer Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez) on the footsteps of his Miami home. Throughout the series, we see Cunanan’s path to Versace,...
“The Assassination of Gianni Versace” follows Cunanan’s destructive path which led him to murder famed designer Gianni Versace (Edgar Ramirez) on the footsteps of his Miami home. Throughout the series, we see Cunanan’s path to Versace,...
- 1/25/2018
- by Tony Ruiz
- Gold Derby
“Crisis in Six Scenes” is Woody Allen’s first television venture which is set to debut on Amazon this Friday, September 30. The six-episode series stars Allen, alongside Elaine May, as a suburban New York couple who take in a young hippie (portrayed by Miley Cyrus) caught up in the ’60s movement and inspired by radical communist leaders. Here’s what the critics are saying about the half-hour comedy.
IndieWire’s Ben Travers gave the series a C- and wrote:
“To say ‘Crisis in Six Scenes’ is a disaster would be an overstatement…There’s simply little new or striking in the six half-hour episodes, much of which constitute Allen recycling old caricatures spouting the same philosophies and debates we’ve heard from him over the last six decades.”
Read More: ‘Crisis in Six Scenes’ Review: Woody Allen Takes the Money and Bombs in TV Debut
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood...
IndieWire’s Ben Travers gave the series a C- and wrote:
“To say ‘Crisis in Six Scenes’ is a disaster would be an overstatement…There’s simply little new or striking in the six half-hour episodes, much of which constitute Allen recycling old caricatures spouting the same philosophies and debates we’ve heard from him over the last six decades.”
Read More: ‘Crisis in Six Scenes’ Review: Woody Allen Takes the Money and Bombs in TV Debut
Tim Goodman of The Hollywood...
- 9/26/2016
- by Liz Calvario
- Indiewire
While it has released plenty of original series over the past couple of years, Hulu is still searching for a show that can attain the same sort of mainstream recognition afforded to the best original series from Netflix and Amazon. Difficult People may not be that show, but it seems to be drawing quite a bit of buzz. The comedy, which stars Julie Klausner and Billy Eichner as best friends who have little empathy and even less self-awareness, has premiered on Hulu and generated positive reviews from critics.
Difficult People’s main characters, also named Julie and Billy, are in some ways modeled after their respective real life counterparts, though I would hope Klausner (the host of the How Was Your Week podcast) and Eichner (the man behind Billy on the Street) are not as narcissistic as their televised counterparts. Julie and Billy (the characters) are stuck on the fringes of the entertainment industry,...
Difficult People’s main characters, also named Julie and Billy, are in some ways modeled after their respective real life counterparts, though I would hope Klausner (the host of the How Was Your Week podcast) and Eichner (the man behind Billy on the Street) are not as narcissistic as their televised counterparts. Julie and Billy (the characters) are stuck on the fringes of the entertainment industry,...
- 8/5/2015
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
It’s finally here — the premiere of Gortimer Gibbon’s Life on Normal Street, the original series that was discovered through Amazon Studios’ open submission process two years ago, launching the writing career of former preschool teacher David Anaxagoras.
A hit with Amazon viewers when it debuted as a pilot, the full series has been embraced by TV critics this week, who’ve praised the show as “refreshing and imaginative” (San Francisco Chronicle), “mysterious, whimsical and fun” (Channel Guide) and “exploding with treasures” (Time).
The Chronicle’s David Wiegand attributed part of the appeal of the show to Anaxagoras’ “outsider status” in Hollywood, and called it “reminiscent of a time when kids TV was all about fun and homemade adventure.”
New York Post TV critic Sara Stewart captured what Anaxagoras was aiming for when he set it out to write it as his “last ditch effort” at breaking into Hollywood: “Smart,...
A hit with Amazon viewers when it debuted as a pilot, the full series has been embraced by TV critics this week, who’ve praised the show as “refreshing and imaginative” (San Francisco Chronicle), “mysterious, whimsical and fun” (Channel Guide) and “exploding with treasures” (Time).
The Chronicle’s David Wiegand attributed part of the appeal of the show to Anaxagoras’ “outsider status” in Hollywood, and called it “reminiscent of a time when kids TV was all about fun and homemade adventure.”
New York Post TV critic Sara Stewart captured what Anaxagoras was aiming for when he set it out to write it as his “last ditch effort” at breaking into Hollywood: “Smart,...
- 11/20/2014
- Hollywonk
It’s been just eight months since viewers helped greenlight the pilot with their passionate reviews, and today, the entire first season of Transparent finally makes its much-anticipated debut on Prime Instant Video.
The 10-episode half hour series, which stars Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Judith Light (Dallas), Gaby Hoffman (Girls), Amy Landecker (Louie) and Jay Duplass (Togetherness), explores family, identity, sex, and love through the story of the Pfeffermans, a Los Angeles family forced to deal with their long-held secrets together.
Critical reception for the series has been overwhelmingly positive, with critics from several major outlets recommending it as the best new fall TV show, including Time and Entertainment Weekly:
“Transparent has the beginnings of a transformative, transcendent, transporting story of a person, a family–and a culture–going through a transformation.” – James Poniewozik, Time
“Beautiful, funny and touching…One of those rare shows that alters the complexion of the landscape with its quality.
The 10-episode half hour series, which stars Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development), Judith Light (Dallas), Gaby Hoffman (Girls), Amy Landecker (Louie) and Jay Duplass (Togetherness), explores family, identity, sex, and love through the story of the Pfeffermans, a Los Angeles family forced to deal with their long-held secrets together.
Critical reception for the series has been overwhelmingly positive, with critics from several major outlets recommending it as the best new fall TV show, including Time and Entertainment Weekly:
“Transparent has the beginnings of a transformative, transcendent, transporting story of a person, a family–and a culture–going through a transformation.” – James Poniewozik, Time
“Beautiful, funny and touching…One of those rare shows that alters the complexion of the landscape with its quality.
- 9/25/2014
- Hollywonk
The first reviews of the Us Rake, which premieres on the Fox network on Thursday night Us time, are generally positive but some critics are undecided about the show.s prospects.
Most praise the performance of Greg Kinnear as Keegan Deane, a brilliant, charismatic lawyer with a self-destructive gambling habit and a tendency to ruin every relationship in his life.
But some critics question whether Us viewers will warm to such a flawed character. .What sort of man (and mostly, woman) will want to watch this playboy? It.s hard to say, but if Fox loses on this dice roll, at least nobody should beat them up over it,. said Variety.s Brian Lowry.
Fox has scheduled Rake at 9 pm after American Idol but Lowry doubts there will be much of a cross-over audience.
The New York Times was more positive, its reviewer Alessandra Stanley declaring, "Rake is a clever...
Most praise the performance of Greg Kinnear as Keegan Deane, a brilliant, charismatic lawyer with a self-destructive gambling habit and a tendency to ruin every relationship in his life.
But some critics question whether Us viewers will warm to such a flawed character. .What sort of man (and mostly, woman) will want to watch this playboy? It.s hard to say, but if Fox loses on this dice roll, at least nobody should beat them up over it,. said Variety.s Brian Lowry.
Fox has scheduled Rake at 9 pm after American Idol but Lowry doubts there will be much of a cross-over audience.
The New York Times was more positive, its reviewer Alessandra Stanley declaring, "Rake is a clever...
- 1/23/2014
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Us critics generally have given a warmer reception to NBC.s Australian-shot series Camp than Oz broadcasters.
Australian executives who watched the pilot episode of the series set in a Us summer camp for kids thought it was targeted at young teens and judged it as too silly and juvenile to appeal to adults.
Well, the Us audience may be broader than that judging by the first batch of reviews; the Tweed Valley, Nsw-lensed show premieres on NBC on Wednesday at 10 pm.
Rachel Griffiths stars as a newly-divorced camp director/owner who is looking for a fresh start. Rodger Corser is the Aussie who owns a rival camp and offers to buy her out.
The La TV Insider Examiner.s Danielle Turchiano opined, .There are moments in Camp where the show lives up to its name in that reactions or outright dialogue feel over the top and cheeky in that...
Australian executives who watched the pilot episode of the series set in a Us summer camp for kids thought it was targeted at young teens and judged it as too silly and juvenile to appeal to adults.
Well, the Us audience may be broader than that judging by the first batch of reviews; the Tweed Valley, Nsw-lensed show premieres on NBC on Wednesday at 10 pm.
Rachel Griffiths stars as a newly-divorced camp director/owner who is looking for a fresh start. Rodger Corser is the Aussie who owns a rival camp and offers to buy her out.
The La TV Insider Examiner.s Danielle Turchiano opined, .There are moments in Camp where the show lives up to its name in that reactions or outright dialogue feel over the top and cheeky in that...
- 7/8/2013
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Recently, cable network TNT announced its cancellation of the critically acclaimed police drama "Southland," which ended its fifth and final season on a cliffhanger where the life of Officer John Cooper (Michael Cudlitz) hung in the balance. On May 22, Cudlitz and his co-star Regina King were both nominated for Critics' Choice TV Awards for their performances, but the show has never been on the Emmy radar, apart from a pair of Creative Arts wins for Best Stunt Coordination. So why the cold shoulder? There's no lack of praise for the series, which scored 86 on MetaCritic this season, higher than expected Emmy contenders like "House of Cards," "Downton Abbey," "Boardwalk Empire," and "The Newsroom." As San Francisco Chronicle's David Wiegand raved, "There isn't a better cop show on TV right now than 'Southland.'" The lack of recognition is even stranger when you consi...
- 5/28/2013
- Gold Derby
Given the mammoth expectations and hype surrounding the new season of Arrested Development, it was bound to disappoint some fans now matter how well it turned out. Sure enough, reviews of the new Netflix series have been mixed. Some critics have praised the show for its witty in-jokes and constantly ascending quality while others have bemoaned its interwoven format and slower pace, both of which are byproducts of its new home on the Internet. First, the good news: It's still funny. "With expectations as high as they are among Ad fans, do the new episodes live up to those of the first three seasons which ended in 2006? Yes, and then some," wrote David Wiegand in the San Francisco Chronicle, "The new season is not only as smart and absurdly funny as ever, but also reflects the rapid changes in how we watch television." There's definitely some truth in Wiegand's praise...
- 5/27/2013
- by Sam Gutelle
- Tubefilter.com
There are few forms of journalism more entertaining than a really good bad review. But it has to be done right: here's how
Among the terrible reviews of Liz and Dick, this week – "stunningly cynical" (TV Guide), "unbearably hilarious" (Hollywood Reporter), "badly paced, cheap-looking and encrusted with a tinkly, preposterous soundtrack designed to make viewers go insane" (Huffington Post) – none was quite brutal enough to ascend to that category of criticism that sweeps the internet now and then, and warms the darkest recess of the heart: the magisterial takedown.
(David Wiegand in the San Francisco Chronicle gave it his best shot with "It's so terrible, you'll need to ice your face when it's over to ease the pain of wincing for two hours." but there wasn't quite enough artistry in his bitching.)
No. For a negative review really to fly, it must meet five broad criteria.
1. Have about it the...
Among the terrible reviews of Liz and Dick, this week – "stunningly cynical" (TV Guide), "unbearably hilarious" (Hollywood Reporter), "badly paced, cheap-looking and encrusted with a tinkly, preposterous soundtrack designed to make viewers go insane" (Huffington Post) – none was quite brutal enough to ascend to that category of criticism that sweeps the internet now and then, and warms the darkest recess of the heart: the magisterial takedown.
(David Wiegand in the San Francisco Chronicle gave it his best shot with "It's so terrible, you'll need to ice your face when it's over to ease the pain of wincing for two hours." but there wasn't quite enough artistry in his bitching.)
No. For a negative review really to fly, it must meet five broad criteria.
1. Have about it the...
- 11/28/2012
- by Emma Brockes
- The Guardian - Film News
I'd rather have opened with the spider scene from Annie Hall, but there doesn't seem to be an embeddable version of decent quality. At any rate, it's probably a little unfair to both Woody Allen and Diane Keaton to lump PBS's Woody Allen: A Documentary (airing in two parts tonight and tomorrow) and Keaton's new memoir, Then Again, into the same roundup. After all, of the 46 films he's made and the 50-odd films she's appeared in, Keaton has only been in seven Woody Allen movies (eight, if you count Play It Again, Sam [1972], which he wrote but which Herbert Ross directed). Diane Keaton is, of course, a director in her own right, too (her oeuvre includes an episode of Twin Peaks!), as well as a photographer, artist and designer. And Woody Allen is, well, Woody Allen. Draw a Venn diagram of their careers, and there's just a whole lot...
- 11/20/2011
- MUBI
Prodigal Sons
Advance tickets available here
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, we’ll be showing Prodigal Sons, a new documentary that is so fantastic that you’ll barely believe it’s a true story. We’re very lucky to be able to screen this small, independent film. The reason the film jumped out to us, and why we fought to bring it out to Austin even when the distributors had no plans to show the film here, is because it has so much heart. The story is a soul-wrenching tale of a family struggling through problems that threaten to tear it apart, but is able to maintain a fascinating and non-sentimental tone. The director, who is also the subject of the film, is able to convey the small details of her family so beautifully that you will feel like a cousin, uncomfortably watching as your family unfurls at a Christmas dinner.
Advance tickets available here
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, we’ll be showing Prodigal Sons, a new documentary that is so fantastic that you’ll barely believe it’s a true story. We’re very lucky to be able to screen this small, independent film. The reason the film jumped out to us, and why we fought to bring it out to Austin even when the distributors had no plans to show the film here, is because it has so much heart. The story is a soul-wrenching tale of a family struggling through problems that threaten to tear it apart, but is able to maintain a fascinating and non-sentimental tone. The director, who is also the subject of the film, is able to convey the small details of her family so beautifully that you will feel like a cousin, uncomfortably watching as your family unfurls at a Christmas dinner.
- 3/30/2010
- by caitlin
- OriginalAlamo.com
On Tuesday and Wednesday this week, we’ll be showing Prodigal Sons, a new documentary that is so fantastic that you’ll barely believe it’s a true story. We’re very lucky to be able to screen this small, independent film. The reason the film jumped out to us, and why we fought to bring it out to Austin even when the distributors had no plans to show the film here, is because it has so much heart. The story is a soul-wrenching tale of a family struggling through problems that threaten to tear it apart, but is able to maintain a fascinating and non-sentimental tone. The director, who is also the subject of the film, is able to convey the small details of her family so beautifully that you will feel like a cousin, uncomfortably watching as your family unfurls at a Christmas dinner.
“Superb. No one could...
“Superb. No one could...
- 3/26/2010
- by daniel
- OriginalAlamo.com
[Bumping this up as it's just turned out that this is not an isolated case. A bit of Googling by a Twitch reader revealed that Lisa's review of The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus was actually copied and pasted from Film School Rejects. Who are good people and deserve better treatment than this, frankly. Those who feel moved to complain to Lisa's employers about this may find all the contact information for Westwood One here. Major Update Below]
Any employers of a film columnist who goes by Lisa R (LisaLR1 on Twitter), be warned. She may very well be selling you things that do not actually belong to her. She certainly did with a recent column she turned in to Westwood One America which she plagiarized directly from the pages of Twitch.
Here's how Lisa describes herself on her blog:
Selections from a weekly film column I publish for Westwood One America (the largest producers and distributors of entertainment TV, radio and print media in the USA). These include: Interviews with actors, directors, writers, producers, film reviews, and events within the film industry. I am also currently the Co-Owner of the 3-person team of Wdk Film Productions, Inc. (we produce Independant Films and Documentaries). *{For over 10 yrs., Lisa's articles for Westwood One have appeared, been used or featured in such publications as: EW (Entertainment Weekly), Total Film, Premiere,...
Any employers of a film columnist who goes by Lisa R (LisaLR1 on Twitter), be warned. She may very well be selling you things that do not actually belong to her. She certainly did with a recent column she turned in to Westwood One America which she plagiarized directly from the pages of Twitch.
Here's how Lisa describes herself on her blog:
Selections from a weekly film column I publish for Westwood One America (the largest producers and distributors of entertainment TV, radio and print media in the USA). These include: Interviews with actors, directors, writers, producers, film reviews, and events within the film industry. I am also currently the Co-Owner of the 3-person team of Wdk Film Productions, Inc. (we produce Independant Films and Documentaries). *{For over 10 yrs., Lisa's articles for Westwood One have appeared, been used or featured in such publications as: EW (Entertainment Weekly), Total Film, Premiere,...
- 1/28/2010
- Screen Anarchy
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