(Obviously, spoilers present. 'Nuff said.) The relationship between Walt and his son forms the primary foundation at the heart of "Breaking Bad." (Photo credit: Ursula Coyote/AMC) I suppose I'm not surprised that many felt less satisfied with the "Felina" – excuse me, the finale – of Breaking Bad than I was. I've read tweets andContinue reading “On the “Breaking Bad” finale – Walt didn’t win: Don’t forget Walter Jr.”
Category Archives: Reviews
“Casting By”: An underappreciated job and the woman who changed it and Hollywood
Last week, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences made history when it elected Cheryl Boone Isaacs as its new president, making her the third woman and first African-American to lead the organization. But another monumental shift also occurred last week that may not have seemed so important to casual observers: After decades ofContinue reading ““Casting By”: An underappreciated job and the woman who changed it and Hollywood”
Chaplin: The Musical All Falls Down Right from the Start
I will stipulate that compressing the life of one of the most important and influential artists of the 20th Century is no easy task. Satisfying all audiences is impossible. The creators of a big, meant-for-Broadway musical must omit fun, interesting and clever bits of story and information, and too, they must simplify and consolidate largeContinue reading “Chaplin: The Musical All Falls Down Right from the Start”
A Civil War Christmas: A fascinating, serious and fun pageant for the ages
The Playbill for Paula Vogel’s A Civil War Christmas — which opened Tuesday at New York Theater Workshop – contains a “production history” timeline starting with the November 1860 election of Abraham Lincoln. The twelfth and final item dated “October-November 2012” notes the production’s rehearsal start, the arrival of Hurricane Sandy and NYTW’s loss ofContinue reading “A Civil War Christmas: A fascinating, serious and fun pageant for the ages”
Checkers: Nixon’s most likable moment played out less-favorably
I guess I just expected so much more. The story behind the story of Richard Nixon’s infamous “Checkers” speech; Terry Kinney in the director’s chair and the very talented Anthony LaPaglia and Kathryn Erbe doing the majority of the heavy lifting on stage; a script by the politically astute Douglas McGrath, who gained some satireContinue reading “Checkers: Nixon’s most likable moment played out less-favorably”
Sorry: The Apple Family has nothing to apologize for
In the program to his new play Sorry writer-director Richard Nelson writes, “It is my hope that these plays are about the need to talk, the need to listen, the need for theatre, and, I now add, the need to be in the same room together.” The immediacy of theater sets it apart from theContinue reading “Sorry: The Apple Family has nothing to apologize for”
The Whale: Theater at its best as Playwrights Horizons does it again
I don’t casually give standing ovations. Generally, I remain perfectly content to clap from my seat, even if I thoroughly enjoyed the just completed work. However, upon the final blackout of The Whale, I leapt to my feet to acknowledge the brilliant and award-worthy performance of Shuler Hensley, and to an even greater degree, theContinue reading “The Whale: Theater at its best as Playwrights Horizons does it again”
Wild With Happy: More wild, less happy, looking for the proper balance
Oh, how I would love to be happy all the time! Wouldn’t that be wonderful? For that very experience, vacationers spend thousands of dollars to visit the happiest place on Earth, Disney World. In so many ways, they leave the real world to enter an entirely different one, filled with multiple resorts, attractions, countries, mallsContinue reading “Wild With Happy: More wild, less happy, looking for the proper balance”
The new TV season: First Take — Lone Star
Kyle Killen, the creator of the new Fox series Lone Star, wrote an open letter beseeching the greater American television audience to watch his show. Why would a writer need to do such a thing? Well, in case you haven’t heard, Lone Star debuted to terrible numbers: In today’s television landscape, a 1.3 rating equatingContinue reading “The new TV season: First Take — Lone Star“
The new TV season: First Take — Outlaw
Earlier today, fans of NBC the world over rejoiced at the news that NBCU topper Jeff Zucker has finally stopped failing upwards. I’m sure he shall live comfortably for the rest of his years, and he will soon run some other sort of media company, but at least he will no longer be able toContinue reading “The new TV season: First Take — Outlaw“
Out of Focus 