It would not be outrageous to assume that Current TV exists solely for conservatives in need of a laugh these days, because that’s certainly what the news that the flailing Al Gore-led cable network has hired Joy Behar to host a show will elicit. Behar, the longtime left-wing co-host of “The View,” will headline “Joy […]
Joy Behar to host new show on Current TV Read More »
HBO has made a name for itself by getting high-profile movie stars to act in its TV shows and, along the way, it has produced a number of pedigreed made-for-TV movies, as well. As audiences’ preference have shifted from the big-screen to the not-so-small ones in their living rooms, this trend has only been exacerbated. First, we
HBO beats out Fox Searchlight, will produce Larry David-Jon Hamm project Read More »
In my recent Comic-Con thought piece, I vowed that we at Critic Speak would never again post marketing materials, including trailers, without a good reason for doing so. Well, I think there are a couple of good reasons to check out this new trailer for Paul Thomas Anderson’s “The Master,” unless you are committed to
New trailer for “The Master” offers new revelations about P.T.A.’s vision Read More »
This year’s Primetime Emmy nominations were announced this morning in Los Angeles. AMC’s “Mad Men” and FX’s “An American Horror Story” led the pack with 17 nods each. That may sound like a lot for the latter–a title that doesn’t come up frequently when discussing the most critically acclaimed shows on television–but the high count
List of 2012 Emmy nominees in major categories Read More »
“I just want more of life” is how filmmaker Mark Weixler responds when asked by an interview subject why he has chosen to make the documentary “How to Live Forever,” a look at several folks who have defied normal life expectancy and others working to extend said expectancy even further. While this is a plenty
DVD Review: “How to Live Forever” Read More »
The long-awaited Blu-Ray release of David Lean’s 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia” will finally happen on November 13 (pre-order it here), but perhaps the more interesting piece of news is that the restoration is also headed for theaters. “One night only” digital presentations of older films have become common over the past few years, thanks
“Lawrence of Arabia” coming to Blu-Ray and back to theaters — will it help sell digital? Read More »
Regular readers of Critic Speak probably realize the absence of something that nearly every other movie blog on the web is currently running: Comic-Con coverage. I figure it’s best that I clue everyone in as to why, because our reasons for avoiding the popular convention will significantly influence the site’s content from now on. Those
A ‘Con’ is right: Why Comic-Con is destructive to film journalism and fanhood Read More »
Peter O’Toole, the 79-year-old actor made famous by his starring role in David Lean’s epic “Lawrence of Arabia,” released a statement today that he has decided to retire from acting. Via The Hollywood Reporter: It is time for me to chuck in the sponge. To retire from films and stage. The heart for it has gone
Peter O’Toole announces retirement from acting Read More »
Ernest Borgnine, the prolific film and television actor whose filmography spanned more than 60 years, died Sunday in Los Angeles of renal failure. He was 95. After serving in the Navy during World War II, Borgnine started his acting career. His big break was in 1953’s “From Here to Eternity.” Shortly thereafter, he won an
Ernest Borgnine dies at 95 Read More »
Filmmakers, like humanity in general, have long been obsessed with death – and why wouldn’t they be? The construct is simultaneously universal and intensely personal, terrifying and exciting, certain and unknown. These bipolarities make for good theater. But for as frequently as The End is dramatized on the silver-screen, the years leading up to it
Reviews by Request: “Make Way for Tomorrow” (1937) Read More »
