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An ex-Bond and an ex-Bond girl find themselves in some "true-ly blood-y" circumstances. Just cop a few licks from the HBO hit, and move the setting from the present day bayous to Victorian England. Should work just fine if the pilot episode in any indication. Solid production, nicely shot, and Eva Green is worth the price of admission all by herself. Fans of American Horror Story and True Blood will feel right at home here on Goth Disneyland's latest thrill ride. Nothing dreadful about this show at all. Count me in.

One burning question.....Has the terrific Timothy Dalton been studying the equally terrific Patrick Stewart's phrasing and cadences? Close your eyes and listen before you tell me I'm wrong. These Royal Shakespearian guys must have shared a diction coach somewhere along the line.

Okay, look. I'm a little late to the party here. Was watching the winter Olympics and as of today (Valentine's Day) the Norweigians were still leading the US of A in the overall medal count. So I figured that it's time to start binge watching "Lilyhammer". "Know Your Enemy" and all that, ya know? Been given to understand, by folks in the know, that this Van Zandt guy used to play guitar with some band in New Jersey before he decided to turn his attention to the thespian arts, and to becoming a radio mogul (Sirius XM Garage Rock) in his spare time. And the world is better served for it, because our pal Little Steven is the comedy equivalent of Robert DeNiro, but with better hair. This sleeps-with-the-fishes-out-of-water premise is a flat riot. (The "I believe in Norway" opening to the 2nd season was a masterstroke). Steven and his Scandinavian goombahs just rip it up in this series. And it educational, too, kids. You get to learn about day-to-day life in a country that had the Polar Vortex before it was cool. And to anybody who don't like this show, all I can say is "stick it where the sun don't shine"---which is pretty much 6 months out of the year in Norway.

Great show. Jump all over it.

"Revolution" has it all. Bad writing. Bad acting. Bad premise. The trifecta. Which probably means that, in the grand tradition of groundbreaking TV shows like "According To Jim', NBC is prepared to keep this turkey going for 7 or 8 years until it finds it footing.

Giancarlo Esposition is better than this.To paraphrase Lloyd Bentsen, " I knew Gus Fring. Gus Fring was a friend of mine. And you, my friend, are no Gus Fring". Never saw Mr. Esposito in a bad project before, but I guess there's always a first time.

This hodgepodge of "The Postman" and "Life After People" looks dead on arrival. And speaking of "dead on arrival", AMC's little zombie show seems to have a way to make this post-apocalyptic stuff a whole lot more palatable. Just add writers and some committed actors and you got yourself a winner. It CAN be done. But "Revolution" ain't doin' it.

"What's in the whiskey, bitch??" Man. If I had nickel for every time I've heard that.

Woody Harrelson is a lock for an Emmy nom, and more than likely Julianne Moore and Ed Harris get one as well. Palin may take issue with the moments in the movie that show her getting her diva on, but it's generally a very humanizing portrayal of her as a mom and wife who may have been in over her head but did her level best to soldier on. It's certainly not a caricature of her or a hatchet job. Moore, to her credit. seems to have gone out of her way to construct a reasonably balanced view of an extremely polarizing figure.

Had to love that line that Ed Harris delivers late in the movie where he tells Palin not to allow herself to be coopted by the Rush Limbaughs who will destroy the party. HBO couldn't have timed the TV premiere any better. Just lucky or prescient?

Full disclosure: I'm not a big fan of zombies (at least not since "Time Of The Season" and "She's Not There" were hits, anyway), I never read the graphic novels this show is based on, and I wouldn't have given you a plugged nickel for my chances of watching this show past the 15-minute mark of the pilot episode.

But here I am...glued to this puppy midway into the 2nd season. Why? Because good acting goes a long way, kids. (Particularly with the addition---however ultimately tenuous--of Scott Wilson to the cast.) Act as if ye have real drama, and real drama shall be given unto you.

Given the premise here (essentially "Night of the Living Dead" in series format) this show could have easily pegged the "Complete Drivel" meter right out of the gate. Instead, the producers and the cast treat the material as more than comic book fodder for tweens. This is the kind of show that could actually give "post-apocalyptic" a good name again.

Like "24", "Walking Dead" is an E-ticket ride once you're strapped in. Lots of fun. And this make-up department can really dial up the "ick" factor and scare the dookie outa yet when they want. So turn down the lights and enjoy one of the better genre exercises of this type that you're likely to see.

Yeah...you can believe all the hype...It really IS that good. A movie for people who love the movies...and this is one that you really DO need to see in a theater, popcorn in hand. Couple of random thoughts: 1) Woody Allen and Mel Brooks are truly unindicted co-conspirators in this project. Their work paved the way.

2) No supporting actor nod for Uggie? Really? A darned shame. For starters, more emotional range than Emily Proctor and Jim Belushi, and he probably required fewer biscuits during rehearsals, and fewer takes to get the scene.

3) Let's face the cold hard facts, folks. Painful as it may be, it's probably okay to be a patriotic American and like the French again. C'est si bon and all that.

4) Billy Crystal's got it easy this year. The opening montage pretty much writes itself, don't it?

I adore Fran Drescher. She kept me in stitches for years on "The Nanny", she's stone-cold beautiful, she can channel Lucille Ball at will, and she uses her star status to create a terrific platform for cancer survivors like herself. So what's not to love, huh? This show. Pains me to say it, but no amount of talent can save this cast from these scripts.

Fran's been mired in one turkey after another since "The Nanny". It's time for someone to find this woman a serious project, comedy or drama, that showcases what she can do. She's better than this and she deserves better than this.

Laura Linney, like her idol Meryl Streep, is just a model of consistent brilliance. If on nothing but the strength of her performance alone, "The Big C" is poised to be a big deal. Solid job of exposition in the pilot episode. All the main characters are immediately up to speed. Anyone whose life has been brushed by cancer (which is to say, everybody) will recognize the issues and identify with one or another of the characters here. From all initial appearances, this looks like it's gonna be a keeper.

Don't take Kreskin to figure that Linney's heading straight back into Emmy consideration for this role. On the basis of the first half-hour, she's delivering another of her patented fully realized performances.

Okay, Showtime. You had me at "hello". Gonna strap myself in and go for a ride with Ms. Linney and company.

This episode provides a complete departure from the tried-and-true procedural boilerplate that we've all come to know and love on "L&O". Here we delve into the realm of Agatha Christie. A game of "Clue" with a London setting, period costuming, and enough red herrings floating around to cater a Slavic brunch. Plop Jeff Goldblum into the midst of this milieu, and you got yourself some real fish-out-of-water fun. Mili Avital, playing the the central character of this set piece, seems to be channeling her inner Ophelia, and gets the most out of a few precious lines of back story with Goldblum. Best of all, nobody watching this episode will ever again get stumped at the spelling bee on the word "palimpsest". Hell. You'll even be able to use that word in a declarative sentence, amazing your friends and winning all sorts of bar bets. A neat little piece of writing and acting by all concerned parties.

Intriguing and surreal movie with an outstanding performance by Jeff Goldblum, whose name should have been in the mix for any number of acting awards for this film. Holocaust-related movies generally don't get deliver box office results, but this is a strikingly good treatment that deserves a wider audience. Watch it and get the word of mouth out there.

Paul Schrader, whose had a hand in more than a few films about human darkness, creates an intriguing film here. The "arms" scene at towards the end of the film is worth the price of admission on its own. Right up there with "I am Spartacus" or the "I'm still here, you bastards" last line from "Papillon". Powerful stuff. Derek Jacobi, Willem DeFoe, Ayelet Zurer, a frighteningly good Romanian kid named Tudor Rapiteanu, and the rest of international cast do yeoman's work.

Always been a fan of Jeff Goldblum's read on a line...and he's at the top of his game in "Adam".

This is why they invented popcorn.

Yeah, okay. This IS a victory of style over substance and yadda yadda yadda...but there's enough just enough substance to sustain the story line, and the style alone is worth the price of admission. For those of us weaned on "Star Wars", welcome to the new paradigm.

Cameron, whether you love him or hate him, has changed the game with this puppy. From a purely technical standpoint, "Avatar" is absolute state of the art. Don't know if this flick will translate real well to your 36" flat screen at home, but throw in some stadium seating, 3D, and a big screen, and this is a an "E" ride at Disney.

We all liked the circus when we were kids, so let's not pretend this ain't fun. Pretty colors, rhinos with hammerheads and floating mountains courtesy Roger Dean. What's not to love, huh? On a side note, the movie has pulled in about $1 billion in the first 2 weeks. Given the size of the crew listed in the credits for the movie, that only works out to about $2.46 per person. (I did the math). So go buy a ticket and give these folks enough for a gallon of gas.

Who needs a script? It don't get more funny than "Sunny". Charlie, Dennis and Mac are three characters in search of a clue, and the interplay is consistently fast and hilarious. Kaitlin Olsen as Dee, like Jaime Pressly on "My Name Is Earl" has raised the art of portraying white trash into the realm of the sublime. As a walking advertisement for substance abuse, she could make heroin chic fashionable again. Danny De Vito may be even more effective here than in "Taxi", and that's saying something.

Scams, liquor and various and sundry degrading sexual perversions. What's not to love? It's like Shakespeare, only different.

This "Three Stooges meets Spinal Tap" mashup is rapidly turning into one of the funniest half hours on television. In the grand tradition of partially scripted comedies like "Curb Your Enthusiam", just give 'em a situation and turn 'em loose. The boys in the band are a laugh riot, (which is to their great advantage since the MUSICAL talents of the Z02-ers ain't gonna send AC/DC running for cover any time soon). Not-so-secret weapon Lynne Koplitz, playing the band's manager, steals every scene she's in. (Her "That's the way you christen a van" in the mini-Kiss episode has to be one of the funniest lines ever delivered on TV). The producers, god love 'em, are smart enough to shoot on location at every real live music joint in and around the city that never sleeps, and have engaged the services of a herd of A-list rockers looking to get their funny on as guest stars.

"Z-Rock" is well on its way to becoming the 2nd most important export in the history of Brooklyn (the original egg cream, of course, continues to hold down first place).

Guess that season one of "In Treatment" was just an appetizer because season 2 is really hauling out the entrees in a big way. This is Theater with a capital "T". Thoroughly dependent on writing and character development, "Treatment" is delivering the goods week after week. We've already come to expect this performance level from Gabriel Byrne, Hope Davis, Dianne Wiest and John Mahoney but, like the Who said, "The Kids Are Alright". Aaron Shaw and the brilliant Alison Pill are really lighting up the screen this year. HBO has managed to score once again. Almost obviates the need for Broadway (and B'way ticket prices) when you can get this kind of thoughtful writing and acting in the comfort of your own living room.

So this is how you "curry" favor with the Oscar and Globes voters. While "Slumdog" is, at its core, a happy ending love story, the urban sprawl of Mumbai and the unique manner in which the story unfolds set it apart. Danny Boyle and company have been duly rewarded for their originality and this is one of those instances where all the hype is absolutely merited. Couple of quick shout-outs here: 1) "The Kids Are Alright"---the child actors in this film are fantastic and worth the price of admission on their own 2)Get yer Bollywood on---that full-on cast-of-thousands dance sequence that runs over the end credits is a great way to wrap things up. Jai-Ho!!, baby.

When they say "they don't make 'em like that anymore", this is what they're referring to, kids. Ostrich feathers galore, and a riot of yellows and greens. Irving Berlin (who at last glance was of Hebraic extraction)brings you yet another theme song for yet another Christian holiday, and ain't that America? Fred Astaire, who I assume was a victim of a birth defect which left him with no bones in his body, puts that rubberized frame of his through the paces, and it's just a wonder to behold. The original Spider Man---accept no substitutions. Judy Garland never looked better and that signature voice of hers was one of those one-shot deals. As Antony once said, "When comes such another"? (Put her on the list with Janis, folks. We lost one of the good ones there.) Jules Munshin as the waiter hams it up and steals the movie during his scenes. Ann Miller kickin' it old school. Big bonnets. Big production numbers. Big fun.

Old Hollywood at its finest. A holiday tradition.

Disappointing. "Quantum", hot on the heels of one of the best in the Bond series, "Casino Royale", delivers more quick cuts than your average 80's hair-band video. The director doesn't let you come up for air and enjoy the ride. Dialogue and plot, never really a major drawing card for the Bond movies, gets reduced here to nothing more than an afterthought. There's not even the occasional double-entendre or gag line dropped in as a respite from the unrelenting shock and awe campaign of car chases and shoot-em-ups. Daniel Craig is better than this, as witnessed in "Casino". Call this a misstep. Craig's batting .500 as the new Bond. Let's see if a new director can get bring the series back up to snuff.

On the upside, the DVD video of Jack White and Alicia Keys doing the latest Bond song is probably more entertaining than the movie itself. In fact, Alicia looks like she's auditioning for one of those coveted Bond girl slots. Come on. Dip Alicia in some gold or oil or green toxic slime or whatever and let her show up as the latest in a string of beautiful Bond DBs .Can I get an Amen here? "Another Way To Die" can take its rightful place in the "Goldfinger" pantheon of cool Bond themes, probablysomewhere smack in the middle of "Live and Let Die" and "For Your Eyes Only".

Here's hoping the next Bond project gives Craig a shot at re-setting the bar.

Sometimes you just have to wonder who's greenlighting this kind of unwatchable boring stoner garbage. You're gonna need heavier drugs than marijuana to find this puppy even remotely funny. "Pineapple" makes you're average Cheech and Chong movie look like "King Lear" by comparison. Look..if you're into this sort of thing, might as well pick up a Kevin Smith flick and do it the right way. And for those Hollywood geniuses who insist on foisting Sean Rogen films on an unsuspecting populace, may the good lord have mercy on your souls.

Give this waste of time the "Sticks and Stems" award it deserves. Move along folks. Nothing to see here.

1. He's got the gig you always wanted.

2. He won the Lou Reed look-alike contest and you only took second place.

3. Two words: "Free oysters".

4. No one has the right to be in that kinda shape with a 3-pack-a-day habit and a well-documented history of substance abuse...I mean NO ONE!! You eat organic bean sprouts and never bought a carton of Marlboros in your life, and you still look like Sydney Greenstreet anyway.

5. Anyone who can properly pronounce the word "geoduck" probably also knows how to correctly enunciate the word "nuclear" and, as such, deserves your immediate enmity. (NOTE-- If you are currently serving as President of the United States, move this reason to #1 on your list).

6. He gets to say words like f**k and m**herf***er and s**t on national TV and has his mouth washed out with primo vodka, 30-year old single malt scotch and absinthe. Your mom used Lava soap on you.

7. His advance team finds the coolest underground joints in the world while you're Mapquesting the local Applebee's.

8. He gets to do the funniest show on TV and doesn't have to worry about the "Seinfeld curse" since Jason Alexander still has not appeared as a guest on the show.

9. His new movie stinks...Oh..I'm sorry...that's the other "No Reservations".

10. Three words: "More free oysters".

Easily the coolest travel and/or food show you'll ever see. And for all the badass showmanship, the gooey caramel center of "No Reservations" is Bourdain's subliminal message that our world ain't a sandwich...it's a banquet.

any movie that attempts to bring the Shakespeare canon to a new audience has to be allowed fairly wide latitude...so in the age of "Clerks", only right and fitting that we get a taste of Hamlet as a Kevin Smith-type community college slacker...filming from a severely truncated version of the play, this "Hamlet" still manages to provide some clever moments of originality...the "to be or not to be" monologue set in the "action" section of Blockbuster; an Ophelia who betrays Hamlet; the use of speakerphones and faxes to deliver dialog, in lieu of actors on screen...yeah, it's gimmicky...but if this is what it takes to get the Bard to the x and y-genners, then so be it...Joseph Papp would have approved...

that said, there's some interesting takes by Julia Stiles (Ophelia), Diana Venora (the Queen) and Bill Murray (Polonius) on their respective characters...it ain't all style over substance...

so come on, folks...you gave Mel a shot at this, didn't ya? give it a go...

A number of the reviews here mention the fact that Bobby DeNiro has stolen a few pages from the Francis Ford Coppola Director's Handbook. Couldn't agree more. And if you're gonna choose a director to emulate, you might as well go straight to the top of the class.

The parallels to the "Godfather" movies are evident throughout the film, most particularly in the way that DeNiro evokes the periods in question with a rabid attention to detail. Everything just looks and feels right. "Good Shepherd" is one of those films that will bear repeated viewings for nuances, and I believe that's probably the nicest thing that one can say about any film.

The acting by all concerned parties is award worthy. It's Damon's movie, but expect any number of supporting actors to be recognized as well, including my personal nominee for next "it-girl", Tammy Blanchard.

DeNiro's direction in "Bronx Tale" was solid and focused, but "Good Shepherd" is a quantum leap forward. You say you're looking for an "actor's director"? One might postulate that you're gonna be hard-pressed to top this fella any time soon. Even odds that come award season, the movie and the good Mr. DeNiro walk away with the whole shootin' match.

It's always been my contention that great comedians make some of the best dramatic actors.

Well, what we have here is the corollary to the above-stated theorum. Our good buddy, Alec Baldwin, he of the "Third place is you're fired" monologue from "Glengarry", has quietly honed his comic timing via a run of "SNL" appearances and movie roles ("State and Main")and emerged as one of the funniest actors around. His delivery has gotten so good that he's become one of those guys that's funny standing still, before he utters word one. You're laughing before you even know what the premise is. It's a hard pill to swallow, but it's gotten to the point that I don't know if I'll ever be able to watch Alec Baldwin again in a dramatic role without lapsing into hysterics before he deigns to offer a line of dialogue. "30 Rock" may put the final nail in the notable career of Alec Baldwin-"Serious Actor", but I sure ain't complaining. If for no other reason, you should be watching this show just to see him deliver a line.

And if you still want another reason, Jack McBrayer is a flat-out hoot, and Tina Fey, who wisely scrambled from the deck of "SNL" before the ship utterly submerged, is obviously having the time of her life.

"30 Rock" fits neatly into the "no laugh-track zone" that has become NBC's funniest Thursday night line-up ever.

2 seasons into the show, and I'm still reeling from the shock of watching Jaime Pressley pull an entirely unpredictable 180. Prior to "Earl", she seemed destined to haunt Blockbuster bargain bins and Lifetime TV movies for the next couple of decades as a no-great-shakes B-movie sexpot. As Joy, she is hands-down the funniest female character currently gracing your TV screen. This may be Jason Lee's show, but Pressley is committing grand larceny every time she's on screen. Her takes are absolutely hilarious. We're talking' "Lucy In The Candy Factory" funny here. Just the way she chews gum is enough to induce paroxysms. Political incorrectness hasn't been this much fun since the halycon days of Archie Bunker.

Terrific writing, great ensemble work and some inspired guest appearances (Givoanni Ribisi in particular). Hope Earl never runs out of things to cross off his list.

Gotta give credit where it's due. This movie hits all the buttons you want from a Bond flick. Great opening chase scene, great closing blow-it-all-to-smithereens scene, great looking Bond girls and snappy cinematography. And the newest Bond, Daniel Craig, proudly carries on the tradition without slipping into the Austin Powers self-parody trap lurking around every corner.

Have to love the opening. After using every imaginable mode of transportation from speedboats to hotsh*t race cars to jets to skis for the chase scenes in the previous Bond flicks, I would have figured they'd run out of options and just re-cycle. So, instead, the producers hit on the ONE mode of transportation that hadn't yet been used... Running. Lord help me. Running. On foot. And it WORKS!!! All I can say to Marty Campbell is "You had me at "hello".

Great twist on the "Shaken, not stirred" line, too. Cute retro move on the opening title credits. The theme song ain't really up to snuff, but that's my only real complaint here.

All in all, not quite "Goldfinger", but not bad. Thought that a blonde Bond would create a rift in the cosmos and suck the universe into a some black hole in the space-time continuum. Thought I'd come out of the movie screaming "I knew Sean Connery. Sean Connery was a friend of mine. And you, my friend, are no Sean Connery". But Daniel Craig pulls it off. Go figure. I stand corrected. And more important...I sit entertained.

Gotta tell ya, folks...i was really pulling for Brad Garrett, but this show has "mid-season cancellation" tattooed all over it...Garrett is one of those guys who's funny standing still, but even he's not going to be able to dig his way out of this level of sub-standard writing...the whole premise is DOA...Fox broke some ground with "Married With Children", but this reconstituted substitute of a remake is 20 years late and as tasty as margarine....

As Elaine Benes herself might have said, "Next!!! (Please excuse this parenthetic.........Nothing really more to say...just satisfying IMDb's 10-line minimum..)