Home Entertainment Consumer Guide: July 17, 2014
The best new releases on Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, VOD, and Blu-ray/DVD.
TV/Streaming
TV Review: USA & FX Tread Familiar Ground in New Series
A review of FX’s “Married” & “You’re the Worst” and USA’s “Rush” & “Satisfaction.”
Hot and Cold: Netflix’s “Hemlock Grove” and CBS’s “Extant”
A review of “Extant” and “Hemlock Grove.”
Streaming Consumer Guide: July 3, 2014
A guide to new releases On Demand and through streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, and Fandor.
Despite Excellent Cast, HBO’s “The Leftovers” Wastes Opportunity
A performance here and there; the fascinating narrative of Perrotta’s; the commentary on how poorly human beings deal with earth-shattering change—there are reasons to watch “The Leftovers” and I’m curious enough to keep going through at least the first season, but lower those expectations that this is the next great 2014 TV drama.
Beatles Good!: The 50 Anniversary of “A Hard Day’s Night”
An appreciation of “A Hard Day’s Night” as its 50th anniversary approaches.
FX Looks For Next Drama Hit in “Tyrant,” “The Bridge,” “The Strain”
FX launches three dramas in the next three weeks—”Tyrant,” “The Bridge,” “The Strain”—with mixed results.
A Reappraisal of Oliver Stone’s “Alexander: The Ultimate Cut”
On the eve of its 10th anniversary, a new version of Oliver Stone’s Alexander on Blu-ray demands a reappraisal.
Streaming Consumer Guide: June 19, 2014
The best films recently added to Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon with links to RogerEbert.com’ reviews.
The Mesmerizing Rhythm of Sundance Channel’s “Rectify”
A review of the second season of Sundance Channel’s “Rectify”
If I Had An Emmy Ballot 2014
Picks for the best of the 2013-14 television season, in the form of a Dream Emmy ballot.
A Community Grows in Texas: The 2014 ATX Television Festival
Libby Hill recaps the 2014 ATX Television Festival.
Comfort Food TV: USA & TNT Prepare For Another Wave of Summer Hits
TNT & USA are premiering or returning eight series in the next two weeks and yet they get half the press of other networks. What are they doing right and are any of the new shows worth a look?
Confident Writing and Performances Elevate Netflix’s “Orange is the New Black”
The joy of “Orange is the New Black” comes in how it unfolds, the ways the writers and performers constantly defy expectations.
Streaming Consumer Guide: June 3, 2014
The latest and greatest additions to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon, and more.
Early Days of Tech Craze Captured in Engaging “Halt and Catch Fire”
The easy crib note for “Halt and Catch Fire” could be “Mad Men in the
‘80s tech world” in the sense that they’re both AMC period pieces about
workplace culture and changes in the marketplace in the times they take
place. It’s not quite as nuanced as “Mad Men,” but it could be before the
end of the season.
NBC Dumps Three New Shows in Lackluster Summer Season
Three new programs premiere on NBC this week. None are worth your time.
You Just Might Find: The Midseason Finale of “Mad Men”
Libby Hill takes a look at the last few episodes of the 2014 season of “Mad Men.”
