The Apple TV+ comedy “Platonic” is a reunion of the 2014 movie “Neighbors” (and its 2016 sequel “Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising”), again pairing stars Seth Rogen and Rose Byrne with the writer and director Nicholas Stoller. But “Platonic” also models itself after another, more enduring classic: Nora Ephron’s “When Harry Met Sally,” a film explicitly referenced in the pilot of …
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‘City on Fire’ Review: Apple TV Crime Series Fizzles
Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage cemented their place in TV history with a pair of teen soaps that epitomized the aughts. “The O.C.” and the original “Gossip Girl” imprinted on an entire generation, giving millennials a taste for curated soundtracks, pre-recessionary opulence and side-swept bangs. For their latest project, the showrunning duo return to their comfort zone — or rather, contort …
Read More »The Walking Dead Series Finale Review: Closure, But Anticlimactic
It’s hard to talk about “The Walking Dead” without talking about death. It built its reputation as a show where anyone could be killed off, and indeed, it turned over roughly a third of its cast every season in its early years. (Lest you forget them, the series finale gives its final moments over to a montage of those we’ve …
Read More »‘David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived’ Review: Daniel Radcliffe Interviews ‘Harry Potter’ Stunt Double
For the actor Daniel Radcliffe, Harry Potter was the role of a lifetime. Over eight movies and a decade that spanned his entire adolescence, Radcliffe became the world-famous face of the bespectacled boy wizard. While the franchise, now set to retell the core story as a TV show with a brand-new cast, continued on without him, Radcliffe’s early success gave …
Read More »‘Wolf Pack,’ Sarah Michelle Gellar’s Return on Paramount+: TV Review
Before a deep dive into Paramount+’s latest supernatural teen drama “Wolf Pack,” a bit of housekeeping is in order. “Wolf Pack” is the creation of Jeff Davis, who also loosely adapted “Teen Wolf” (from the old Michael J. Fox film) into a six-season drama, for Paramount’s MTV. But “Wolf Pack” – built from the novel by Edo van Belkom – …
Read More »‘iCarly’ Review: Reboot Brings Nickelodeon Humor to Paramount Plus
“iCarly,” a late-2000s gem on Nickelodeon that was on the cutting edge of YouTube video culture, has returned with a new series on Paramount Plus, featuring familiar goofy, slapstick humor. But it’s added a more adult edge to target our modern influencer-obsessed way of life. Some 14 years after “iCarly” first premiered, web-show host Carly Shay (Miranda Cosgrove) is all grown up, much …
Read More »‘Winning Time’ Season 2 Review: HBO Lakers Show Is Still Dazzling
HBO’s “Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty” is back for Season 2, and it’s still electric and a damn good time. The first season, mostly spanning the 1979-1980 NBA calendar, unpacked the origins of Los Angeles Lakers owner Dr. Jerry Buss (a crass but delightful John C. Reilly) and exhaustively detailed the origins of the dynasty that he …
Read More »“Star Wars: Ahsoka Review”: A Fun, Unique Disney+ Show For Everyone
Fans of the animated series “Star Wars: The Clone Wars” and “Star Wars: Rebels” will undoubtedly feel redeemed amid the arrival of Disney+’s latest “Star Wars” entry, “Ahsoka.” Set in the same timeframe as the third chapter of “The Mandalorian,” this new eight-episode series follows ex-Jedi Knight Ahsoka Tano (Rosario Dawson). After surviving the Jedi purge and being rescued from …
Read More »‘Fatal Attraction’ TV Show Review: Paramount+ Remake Intrigues
A curious Anne Archer lifts the lid off of a boiling pot only to discover the body of her young daughter’s mangled and bloated bunny. It’s a film scene that still echoes in the minds of cinephiles and physiological thriller enthusiasts alike. However, unlike the 1987 film starring Archer, Michael Douglas and the incomparable Glenn Close, Paramount+’s new series, “Fatal …
Read More »Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special Review: A Marvel Christmas Hit
There will be no coal in James Gunn’s stocking this year. His “Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special” is stuffed with funny, feel-good Christmas joy, and it’s one of the best pieces of content Marvel Studios has released in years. Just like Marvel and Disney+’s Halloween-themed “Werewolf by Night” Special Presentation, the “Guardians” short film oozes holiday cheer, but this …
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