Posts Tagged ‘history’
 

 

THE SKED: “Hatfields & McCoys” Keep Shooting

  History Channel, which just entered the world of scripted television 2 days ago, now owns the #1 and #2 scripted programs in the history of basic cable, as the 2d installment of HATFIELDS & MCCOYS barely declined fro...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE BIJOU @ TIFF: “Albert Nobbs”

> Rodrigo Garcia’s film ALBERT NOBBS (he shares auteurship with Glenn Close, who served as screenwriter with John Banville and Gabriella Prekop and as a producer as well as star) caters to what used to be called the James...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Vikings”

  History Channel has been on quite a streak in its last two seasons.  Its first foray into scripted television, the miniseries Hatfields & McCoys, was a surprise smash hit, as was this year’s follow-up The Bibl...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED: A’Feudin’ and A-Watchin’

  History Channel has to be awfully happy with its decision to get into the scripted programming business.  Part 1 of HATFIELDS & MCCOYS (our review is here) premiered last night to the largest non-sports audience in ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “Django Unchained”

  DJANGO UNCHAINED – Worth A Ticket – Pre-Civil War American History 101 With Professor Tarantino Quentin Tarantino is, when you think about it, the most successful avant-garde filmmaker in Hollywood.  His tri...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “Cloud Atlas”

  It isn’t often that one needs to invoke Intolerance to describe a current film, but CLOUD ATLAS demands it.  Like D.W. Griffith’s epic, it intercuts between stories taking place across hundreds of years o...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED SEASON FINALE REVIEW: “Copper”

  Throughout its first season, COPPER has almost never been as vivid as it seemed like it should be.  The show’s premise and auspices were promising:  the lead producers were Barry Levinson and Tom Fontana, who apa...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED REVIEW: “Hatfields & McCoys” Episode 2

  The second 2-hour chunk of the newly anointed most popular scripted show in the history of basic cable, History’s HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, was much like the first episode:  a strong opening hour followed by a secon...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

THE SKED PILOT REPORT: AMC’s “Hell On Wheels”

> Disclaimer:  Network pilots now in circulation are not necessarily in the form that will air in the Fall.  Pilots are often reedited and rescored, and in some cases even recast or reshot.  So these critiques sh...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SKED FINALE REVIEW: “Hatfields & McCoys”

    HATFIELDS & MCCOYS, already a blockbuster hit, kept its best and most compelling hours for last.  Although the conclusion of the 6-hour tale, directed throughout by Kevin Reynolds and with this installment wr...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

The Sked: Cable Ratings April 17-23

>History’s Pawn Stars tops this week’s cable chart, with a 2.0 rating from 10:00-10:30 pm Monday with Adults 18-49.  Usually the 10:30 pm Pawn Stars is slightly higher rated (up a tenth of a rating point or two...
by Mitch Metcalf
 

 
 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “Hyde Park on Hudson”

  To address the very specific elephant in HYDE PARK ON HUDSON‘s room:  it’s no King’s Speech.  It’s hard to avoid the comparison, because the two movies have a clear overlap, Hyde Park being t...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

LIMITED RELEASE: “The Double Hour,” “Incendies” & “Cave of Forgotten Dreams”

> Plot spoilers are even more problematic when it comes to limited releases, because by definition they’re only being seen by a few people in certain selected locations, and–if they’re good–will ideally ...
by Mitch Salem
 

 
 

THE SHOWBUZZDAILY REVIEW: “Sarah’s Key”

  SARAH’S KEY – Watch It At Home:  Misses a Difficult Mark     There may be no cinematic minefield more dangerous for filmmakers than the Holocaust.  For films entering that difficult territory, the...
by Mitch Salem
 

 

 

The Sked: Cable Ratings June 12-18

HBO’s True Blood tops the cable ratings chart again this week, although it’s down three tenths of an Adult 18-49 rating point from last week’s season premiere.  TNT’s Dallas reboot looks impressive in t...
by Mitch Metcalf