In four decades, Tim Allen has appeared in two long-running television series and a slew of films. Allen has a lot of fans, deservedly so. Home Improvement, until the later seasons, and three of his films (not counting the Toy Story films) are the best of his work. When he was trying to be edgy, … More Tim Allen: 3 Films
As an eight-year old boy traveling from Europe to America with his younger brother, Mike Nichols would grow up to more than live the American Dream. He became a Tony and Oscar winning director, and Grammy recipient for his comedy records. Nichols had the kind of life that an immigrant boy could only imagine in … More Mike Nichols
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service. Never heard of it. However, after eighteen seasons, everyone knows what it is. In television time, few scripted series last as many seasons. I’m no expert on the NCIS franchise, but I watched the first six seasons, which may not be the best, but they are strong and formative, and … More NCIS: The Early Seasons
By the end of the 1960s, Doris Day’s film career was about over. Reluctantly, she took on the television series her husband had obligated her (without her knowledge), and it would last for five successful years and close out her show business career. In the 1950s and 1960s, Day often teamed up with the same … More The Glass Bottom Boat (1966)
After the success of Columbo, television executives wanted more, because crime did pay. So a slew of police, detective and crime mystery shows got the green light. Some shows made it, most did not. Police shows were rolled out like Kojak, Streets of San Francisco, Police Story, Police Woman, Starsky & Hutch, Toma, Ironside, Mod … More Ellery Queen & The Snoop Sisters
After reviewing Cedar Rapids, I decided to take a wider look at the films of Ed Helms. He first played a correspondent on The Daily Show, before joining The Office, and building a feature film presence. The films below are all post-Cedar Rapids films, since that was really his “breakout” film, even though the first … More Ed Helms: Films
Before Robert Downey, Jr. was a superhero, he was a pretty good actor. Unfortunately, he was treading water in films that most people no longer remember. But a funny thing happened, this film led to his partnership with actor/director Jon Favreau and Iron Man. Along came Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, a tongue-in-cheek film about film … More Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005)
Ed Helms is one of the breakout actor/comedians from The Daily Show. Helms, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Samantha Bee, John Oliver, Rob Riggle, Mo Rocca and Rob Corddry are among those that worked on the show during the Jon Stewart era. Stewart played straight-man to the humbling and often wrong reporter Helms. When Carrell headed … More Ed Helms, Cedar Rapids
These 12 maybe are not the best, but they are quite interesting for a variety of reasons. I have included documentaries in the list. In no particular order. A Hard Day’s Night (1964) The Beatles in their first film. A cheeky semi-documentary and a classic. Millions had seen the Beatles on Ed Sullivan and many … More A Dozen Rock and Roll Films
Iconic actor Ernest Borgnine left behind a rich television and film legacy. I have written more broadly about Borgnine’s career in a past blog, so here I want to look at Borgnine’s acting choices and strengths by discussing 10 of his roles. I happened to watch part of The Flight of the Phoenix, a film … More Ernest Borgnine in 10 Roles
