Reviews

No sitcom is perfect in the pilot. A sitcom needs several episodes to get into its own rhythm. I'm not going to write this one off yet. Tim Allen is a sitcom veteran. Kat Dennings is memorable from her role on two broke girls. They are perfect casting to play estranged father and daughter reunited after Riley and her kids need to move in with her father after the matriarch has passed away. I don't expect much from the first episode. There are few laughs though. Traditional sitcoms with audiences are a dying breed. We need them to make a comeback though. I'll watch it because I love Kat Dennings too. We will see where the show take us.

Kristen Wiig and Annie Mumolo are best friends in the Midwest. They're closer than Siamese twins. They know everything about each other. They both work at Jennifer Convertibles in their small town. When it goes out of business, they're unemployed. They decide to go to Vista Del Mar, Florida and have the time of their lives. Wiig does double duty in playing two roles. The film is a comedy where Barb and Star save Vista Del Mar from the evil albino character. Barb and Star should return for a sequel. It's fun watching this movie. Plenty of familiar faces like Wendi McClendon, Vanessa Bayer, Phyllis Smith and others. I enjoy the bright colors of Vista Del Mar. You wonder what happened to Barb and Star when they go home to their small town. Maybe there should be a sequel.

Denis Leary plays a military career man with hopes for his career. When he's transferred to an American base in the Netherlands, he is reunited with his estranged daughter. Danny Pudi plays his sidekick and is great casting choice. British Catherine Tate plays the Dutch mayor. The military base isn't known for combat but for the best dining hall and churning butter or cheese. Leary.s Quinn doesn't care too much for his daughter's style and approach to running the base. He's old school and she's new school. There is plenty to look forward too. While it's supposed to be Holland, it's actually filmed in Canada. While it takes a few episodes for a sitcom to settle, I ave high hopes for it.

Karen Eiffel, a British author, has a terrible case of writers block especially when she must kill off Harold Crick, a Chicago IRS tax auditor. Dame Emma Thompson is the British author. Queen Latifah plays her reluctant assistant sent by the publisher to get her to finish her novel. Will Ferrell plays Harold Crick perfectly. Dustin Hoffman plays a literature professor who helps Crick. Maggie Gyllenhall plays Harold's love interest and audit victim. The film was done entirely Chicago which is a great American city. It was nice to see Chicago theatre locals like Ora Jones; Peggy Roeder and Cheryl Lynn Bruce in the film. I wish they shot more movies in Chicago.

It's not your typical romantic comedy film, Dom and Yas meet at a cinema bathroom and spend the day together. Both have exes and messy split ups. The best part of the film is how London is seen and heard without the usual tourist sights. They are in the south London areas. The realism of the two main characters are beautifully portrayed by the leading actors. The most recognizable actress to me is Gia played by Karene Peters (she was in Emmerdale). There is a sense of humor too. The writing is believable and funny at times. The film also has a cameo by Colin Firth at the Love Gactually food stand. You will miss him if you blink.

Sadly, department stores like Dayton's in Minneapolis, Minnesota are a thing of the past. This documentary is sentimental and nostalgic about the wonderment of Dayton's holiday shows. If you had no idea what they were, this documentary reflects on the creativity, ingenuity and genius of bringing fairy tales and children's stories to life with puppets and theatrical designs. I would have loved to have seen these shows growing up. Since I grew up on the east coast, I do remember department stores going all out for the holidays. Dayton's department store hired professional theatrical designers like Jack Edwards and Jack Barkla who transformed the eighth floor into a magical world for children and adults. This documentary remembers those holiday shows fondly .

Tim Allen and Jamie Leigh Curtis played Luther and Nora Krank who decide to skip Christmas since their daughter, Blair, is off in South America as a Peace Corp volunteer. The first half of the film, the Kranks are trying to ditch their usual holiday traditions. There are some memorable moments. They even schedule to take a cruise on Christmas Day in the Caribbean. Instead, their daughter surprises them and is coming home on Christmas Eve with her Peruvian boyfriend. I have the most fun seeing familiar faces like Austin Pendleton as Marty. Austin Pendleton is a rare actor who can do it all. In this film, they utilize him well. His Marty is believable. The scene at the supermarket where Nora tries to get the last ham is classic. Luther and Nora have to change their plans and decorate their house and throw their usual Christmas Eve party. Like I said, the best part about the film is the casting of familiar faces like Emmet Walsh; Dan Ackroyd; and others too mention. The final scene is perhaps the most moving as Luther's Grinch grows a heart and has a change of mind. I won't spoil it anymore. I just wished Austin Pendleton got more recognition and better roles in movies. He is the every guy but brilliant actor.

Jesse Ventura was a Navy Seal and Governor of Minnesota. This PBS documentary recounts his life and career from the beginning to the present. Jesse Ventura's election to the Governorship of Minnesota was a revolutionary and groundbreaking and even shocking. His performance as Governor may have been favorable. He is an intelligent reasonable and rational man. Too bad, he didn't run for President of United States even as a Reform candidate. He has led quite a colorful life. Although now quiet and older, he reflects fondly on his past as a wrestler and governor. He should run again for another office.

If you study journalism, you might want to watch this three episode series about the local news in the twin cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul in Minnesota. This short series should have a follow up season. The series is filled with useful information about the local news history in the twin cities. The Hubbards brought satellite trucks long before the rest of us. Dave Moore was the Walter Cronkite of the twin cities. The documentary interviews many of the living anchors and reporters. The Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area has a lot to cover in local news. This PBS series is devoted to those who began the local news in the twin cities and innovations which evolved over time. The series doesn't cover enough. They only just touch on social issues.

If you want to understand the news industry, this series helps explain how the news scenes has evolved. If you live in the twin cities, you should watch it and see the familiar faces that once anchored the chairs and desks.

I watched all the episodes but I really didn't get into it until the seventh episode. I felt that the show has finally coming into its own. Damon Wayans and Junior do a fine believable job. The humor and writing is getting better as we get used to the characters and sitcom premise. I don't exactly where it is set. Maybe in New Jersey, Poppa worked on the radio in nearby New York City. The cast of characters are slowly coming into form as the season goes on. I enjoyed the Misery segment when Poppa has a nightmare about his co-podcaster in the niddle of the night. I felt the physical humor in the seventh episode added to the show.

Hollywood has a notorious and sordid history. Too bad they didn't include the Sowden house which is rumored to be where the Black Dahlia a.k.a. Elizabeth Short was brutally murdered and dismembered allegedly by Dr. George Hill Hodel. It was his own son and retired Los Angeles retired homicide detective Steven Hodel who uncovered it but he's not included in this documentary. The locations included here are the grand Biltmore Hotel and the decrepit Hotel Cecil among the locations. Cielo Drive and Oman House are quite interesting. Unfortunately the house where Sharon Tate and her friends were brutally murdered was demolished in the nineties. It's not a bad documentary about haunted Hollywood.

The show has great potential to be a hit. We have so few comedies on television today. It's nice and refreshing to see them on network television. Wendy McLendon-Covey is perfect in her role as the head director at St. Denis Medical Center in Oregon. Alison Tolman is effecetive as a nurse supervisor who has a family. Her character seems to be overly involved and so dedicated that she has trouble leaving to see her daughter perform in her school's Mamma Mia. David Alan Grier is fine here as a long term veteran doctor. There are some familiar faces here. I did enjoy the first two episodes and hope to see the rest.

Don't give up in the show. It's the best sitcom on NBC right now and that's not saying much. I would rather have more sitcoms than crime dramas.

No this sitcom isn't groundbreaking but there are such few traditional sitcoms on the air as it is. Reba McEntire always seems to be easy going in life and on the show. The show won't win any awards but it's worth watching because it's heartwarming and lighthearted. Reba McEntire does a fine job as the daughter and heiress to her father's bar. The actress who plays her surprise half sister Isabella does a fine job too. They learn about each other after their father's death. Melissa Peterman was a veteran of Reba's previous sitcom. Melissa and Reba work well together. Melissa is good casting for the show based on prior experiences. The show could use improvement as sitcoms take time to evolve. Just give it a chance especially if you love Reba.

I have high hopes for this sitcom and given a chance and time then it will evolve into something worth more. Will Sasso is a great actor and comedian who is being underused right now. As a sitcom, the premise is weak but it gets better with time and effort. The actors who play George and Mandy are exceptional in their performances. A great supporting cast like Sasso helps the show. Even though it is only thirteen episodes, the show has enormous potential to be big. Guest appearances like Zoe Perry and Annie Potts adds to the show. The sitcom has issues but it is still entertaining and I will keep watching because traditional sitcoms are a dying breed. George and Mandy really came out of nowhere to be a couple worth rooting for and I stiil like them very much.

I still don't understand this documentary about artificial intelligence or A. I. taking over the world. The premise is promising but it lacks experts revealing their beliefs and theories. Yes, artificial intelligence is taken over the world at a faster rate. Unlike humans, they can't feel emotions unless their programmed too. Is the documentary supposed to answer what is going to happen in the future with artificial intelligence? Is there going to be mixed human/robot out there. Yes, it's been done before in movies. Artificial intelligence is useful in many regards. We can send robots to space instead of humans. Unlike humans, robots can malfunction too. They have their limitations. I found the documentary to be circling around the titled topics. There is a monologue instead of a dialogue.

Sue Klebold didn't get any compensation for her participation in this documentary. The documentary is mixed with re-enactments of her life as a mother of a school shooter. Sue searches for answers about what happened to her son who went and killed students at Columbine high school in a picturesque suburb of Denver, Colorado. There have been other school shootings since 1999 but Columbine was unprecedented and horrific. Sue's son, Dylan and his friend Eric Harris shot and killed students and faculty before committing suicide. Sue tries to understand what led her son to the horrors of April 20, 1999. She is guilt ridden over not seeing and spotting the signs or clues. The reenactment don't include the actual shootings. Like everyone else, Sue seeks answers and solution to prevent more school shootings. You can blame gun control and lack of mental health care in this country. 25 years later, we're still looking for answers.

The horrific shooting at Columbine High School in picturesque Littleton, Colorado (a Denver suburb) still haunts us to this day. There are have been more school shootings unfortunately though. This documentary is done from a survivor's point of view. Four former students from their freshman year give their accounts of that horrific day and their lives before and afterwards. The principal and language arts teacher also give their accounts. This documentary is tastefully done though with regards to the survivors of that day and the community. The four former students have moved on with their lives but they haven't forgotten that one day etched forever in their minds. This documentary is carefully done. This documentary is relatable. As someone who worked in the American public school system myself, we have a fire drill, an evacuation drill and an lockdown drill.

The Dybbuk Box could have been real to the viewer. They do exist in actuality and are sold on Ebay. I don't recommend buying one for the experience. I don't know if the Chris Chambers story was true at all. I'll take the film's word for it. He gets a Dybbuk box from the black market and he opens it up. There is not much there. He uses the paranormal devices to help know what is or isn't there. We don't know if there is an actual entity usually malevolent. The Dybbuk Box is not a toy and you're not supposed to open it. It is said that the dybbuk or demon spirit lives inside of it. Once opened, the dark forces takes over. The film is about an hour and takes place in one setting. I don't know if its true or not and I don't really care once and for all.

The 1963 assassination of President John F. Kennedy was an unforgettable moment in American and world history. The true story about the assassination has grown over the decades. Will we ever really know what happened at the Grassy Knoll, Dealey Plaza and the Texas School Book Depository on November 22, 1963? Probably not, we can only speculate and theorize who killed him and why. Even sixty years later, we still have questions. The witnesses here have contradicted the Warren Commission. The audio recordings taken before and after his murder add to the conspiracy. I think what I learned is that Dallas was the third and successful attempt at killing Kennedy. Oswald may have been a shooter but he wasn't the only one.

Andre Rand may or not be guilty of crimes against the missing children of Staten Island. There were sure a lot of coincidences between him and the missing children. I would have preferred a more detailed background of his life. I remember when Jennifer Schweitzer, a young girl with Down syndrome disappeared and her remains were found. There were other missing children but they've never been found. I suspect their remains were disposed at the large landfill on the island. Staten Island is the least populated borough in New York City. The documentary tried to get Rand to talk on camera but to no avail. He was facing his second trial.

I found this documentary about the President John F. Kennedy's assassination after fifty years to be thoughtfully and thoroughly done. The interviews were eye opening and very informative too. The interviewees add plenty of insight and understanding of the complexity of the situation. Yes, he was a patsy. The documentary examines the bullet wounds and the magic bullet theory. They examine Oswald's history. Retired FBI agents are interviewed and add credence to the investigation. Archival footage helps viewers know the players and they were various too. Yes there was a massive conspiracy that day. The coverup only made it worse. The truth always comes out in the end.

The film has the stars. The premise could use some work. Adam Scott and Jennifer Westveldt play professional New Yorkers and longtime friends who decide to have a baby before Julie's biological clock winds down. The film fast forwards from conception to the birth. Jake and Julie have a son named Joe. They co parent well until thry start dating other people. Adam Scott is really undervalued as a comedic and dramatic actor. Jennifer Westveldt is also more than just a pretty face. The supporting cast is stellar with Kristin Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Jon Hamm and more. The writing could have been better though. I loved the New York City location marks.