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Movie Review: THE DOUBLE

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 10/28/2011

THE DOUBLE movie poster | ©2011 Image Entertainment

Stars: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Odette Yustman, Stephen Moyer, Stana Katic, Martin Sheen Writers: Michael Brandt & Derek Haas Director: Michael Brandt Distributor: Image Entertainment Release Date: October 28, 2011 THE DOUBLE is a thriller set in Washington, D.C. that involves both the CIA and the FBI, yet is virtually apolitical. The movie indeed invokes the kinds of spy dramas of yore, like THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE and NO WAY OUT, where a search for an enemy agent leads to all sorts of twists and turns. Writers Michael Brandt & Derek Haas make a concession to present-day filmmaking expectations and pack […]Read On »

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Exclusive Interview: Director Declan O’Brien takes another WRONG TURN

By CARL CORTEZ 10/27/2011

WRONG TURN 4: BLOODY BEGINNINGS teaser poster | ©2011 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment

For a film franchise that got off to a less than stellar boxoffice start in 2003, WRONG TURN has proven to be one of 20th Century Fox’s steady DVD players and has resulted in two additional direct-to-DVD sequels over the years. Now, WRONG TURN 3 helmer Declan O’Brien (Syfy Channel’s SHARKTOPUS) returns to write and direct a prequel to the franchise with WRONG TURN 4: BLOODY BEGINNINGS. If you ever wondered how the cannibal crazies Three-Finger, Saw-Tooth and One-Eye got their appetite for death, destruction and flesh, then BLOODY BEGINNINGS hopes to shed some new bloody light on things. Hitting […]Read On »

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Blu-ray Review: PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES 2-DISC COMBO

By CARL CORTEZ

PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER RIDES Blu-ray | ©2011 Walt Disney Home Entertainment

Rating: PG-13 Stars: Johnny Depp, Peneolpe Cruz, Geoffrey Rush, Ian McShane Writer: Screenplay by Ted Elliott & Terry Rossio, Characters by Ted Elliott, Terry Rossio, Stuart Beattie, Jay Wolpert Director: Rob Marshall Distributor: Walt Disney Home Entertainment Suggested Retail Price: $39.99 There was a lot of ire from fans this summer when PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES was released. Many people absolutely hates the fourth installment of the venerable franchise featuring quirky pirate Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp). Yet, I didn’t understand what all the fuss was about. I thoroughly enjoyed ON STRANGER TIDES, which brought the series back […]Read On »

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Interview: Madeleine Stowe gets a taste of REVENGE

By ABBIE BERNSTEIN 10/26/2011

Madeleine Stowe in REVENGE - Season 1 - "Charade" | ©2011 ABC/Colleen Hayes

In ABC’s new hit series REVENGE, Wednesdays at 10 PM, Emily VanCamp plays Emily Thorne, who returns under an assumed identity to the upscale community in the Hamptons where she lived as a child. Emily’s goal is to get revenge (see the title) on the people who sent her beloved father to jail for life and ruined her younger years. There’s plenty of collateral damage, but Emily’s principal target is Madeleine Stowe’s character Victoria Grayson, who rules the enclave as its unofficially anointed queen. Stowe, a Los Angeles native, had audiences swooning as the heroine in LAST OF THE MOHICANS. […]Read On »

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TV Review: SUPERNATURAL – Season 7 – “Shut Up, Dr. Phil”

By RACHEL REITSLEFF 10/25/2011

James Marsters and Charisma Carpenter in SUPERNATURAL - Season 7 - "Shut Up, Dr. Phil" | ©2011 The CW/Jack Rowand

Stars: Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, James Marsters, Charisma Carpenter, Sean Owen Roberts Writers: Brad Buckner & Eugenie Ross-Leming, series created by Eric Kripke Director: Phil Sgriccia Network: The CW, Fridays @ 9 PM Original Telecast: October 21, 2011 When supernatural shows that are usually dark with hints of humor decide to be lighthearted without committing to going gonzo, the results are usually lightweight. That’s in one way the case with SUPERNATURAL’s episode “Shut Up, Dr. Phil,” but on the other hand, anything that brings together BUFFY and ANGEL alumni James Marsters (Spike) and Charisma Carpenter (Cordelia) automatically has worthwhile qualities. […]Read On »

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Exclusive Interview: Stefanie Powers put the girl power in THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E.

By CARL CORTEZ

THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. DVD - PART 1 | ©Warner Bros.

While everyone fondly remembers the Robert Vaughn series THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E., many forget a one-season spin-off starring Stefanie Powers landed on the air in 1967. Called THE GIRL FROM U.N.C.L.E. the series followed Powers as April Dancer – a spy who worked for the United Network Command for Law and Enforcement and flexed her sexy muscles to combat the bad guys. You could say she put the Powers in Girl Power. The show only lasted for 29 episodes, but the series is looked back at very fondly by fans who fell in love with one of the first empowered […]Read On »

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TV Review: ONCE UPON A TIME – Season 1 – “Pilot”

By ANNE LOUISE BANNON 10/24/2011

Ginnifer Goodwin in ONCE UPON A TIME - Season 1 | ©2011 ABC/Kharen Hill

Stars: Ginnifer Goodwin, Jennifer Morrison, Robert Carlyle, Lana Parrilla, Jared Gilmore, Josh Dallas, Raphael Sbarge Writer: Adam Horowitz, Edward Kitsis Director: Mark Mylod Network: ABC, Sunday nights, 8 p.m. Original Telecast: October 23, 2011 Once upon a time, back in 1987, ABC put on a situation comedy called THE CHARMINGS in which the Evil Queen (Judy Parfitt), in a fit of rage that Snow White had survived after all, cast a spell so powerful, it sent Snow, Prince Eric (Christopher Rich) and their two boys, the Queen and a Dwarf, to modern suburbia. Their confusion with their fairy tale beginnings and real life made for much merriment, but not enough […]Read On »

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TV Review: THE WALKING DEAD – Season 2 – “Bloodletting”

By ARNOLD T. BLUMBERG

Jon Bernthal, Andrew Lincoln, Pruitt Taylor Vince, Jane McNeill, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson and Chandler Riggs in THE WALKING DEAD - Season 2 - "Bloodletting" | ©2011 AMC/Bob Mahoney

Stars: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Jeffrey DeMunn, Steven Yeun, Chandler Riggs, Norman Reedus, Melissa Suzanne McBride, Madison Lintz, IronE Singleton, Lauren Cohan, Scott Wilson, Neil Brown Jr. Writer: Ardeth Bey and Robert Kirkman Director: Ernest Dickerson and Gwyneth Horder-Payton Network: AMC, airs Sunday nights Original Telecast: October 16, 2011 In the second episode of THE WALKING DEAD Season 2, “Bloodletting,” Rick (Andrew Lincoln) finds a possible safe haven for the group while seeking help for Carl (Chandler Riggs), and Shane (Jon Bernthal) undertakes a mission to obtain medical supplies to save Carl’s life. New friends are […]Read On »

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Exclusive Interview: Julie Gardner and the Future of TORCHWOOD – Part 2

By SEAN ELLIOTT 10/19/2011

BBC Worldwide's Julie Gardner | ©2011 BBC

Julie Gardner one of the executive producers on TORCHWOOD, has always been a fan of its parent series DOCTOR WHO. So when she and Russell T Davies brought WHO back in 2005, it was a dream come true. The pair then went on to create the successful spins of THE SARAH JANE ADVENTURES and TORCHWOOD. TORCHWOOD MIRACLE DAY has finished airing now, but our exclusive interview with Gardner continues as she tells ASSIGNMENT X a bit about the future of the series, and responds to criticism the series has gotten for portraying homosexual relationships. ASSIGNMENT X: So at San Diego […]Read On »

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PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES is one of the Blu-ray and DVD picks this week

By PETER BROWN

Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides | © 2011 Disney Home Entertainment

Your time is short. We know this. So in order to expedite your buying and Netflix decision making, we provide you with a list of the cool and not-so-cool titles coming out for movies, television and everything in-between. So put your feet up, grab some popcorn and check out this week’s selections. MOVIES PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: ON STRANGER TIDES – Yeah, times have changed. No longer is Keira Knightley or Orlando Bloom involved but really the first three films were all about Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) and this fourth installment of the action franchise delivers him in spades. […]Read On »

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