commerce
Mr. Moto Returns

Although 20th Century Fox is not exactly shouting it from the housetops, The Mr. Moto Coll...

mysteries
The Fine Art of Thievery

The season-ending episode of Hustle, one of the very best programs currently on television...

music
A Musical Depression

Those who have read my music criticism in the past know that I prefer compositions that ar...

books
The Case of Perry Mason—and an Important Addition

Speaking of Perry Mason as we were yesterday, you might be interested to know that the fir...

books
From “The Case of the Bestselling Author”

Here are some extracts from my article on Erle Stanley Gardner, "The Case of the Best...

movies
Joker Begins

Warner Bros has confirmed that Heath Ledger will play the Joker in the forthcoming sequel ...

mysteries
Perry Mason Returns . . . Again

Starting tonight the Hallmark Channel is presenting a week of Perry Mason movies, each wee...

movies
William Powell on TCM

OK, forgive me for being a little late with this, but Turner Classic Movies is showing fil...

television
Religion in a Sitcom

Those who complain that Hollywood seldom depicts religion as a normal and good part of fil...

movies
Miami Vice Blues

The way to make a great genre film is not to try to "transcend the genre," as is...

television
The Same Thing We Do with Every DVD Set: Try to Take Over the World!

Volume 1 of the satirical animated TV series Pinky and the Brain is now available on DVD. ...

movies
Blonde Alert!

Tonight on Turner Classic Movies: two excellent movies with the word Blonde in their title...

television
Hex Appeal

I'm ambivalent about the BBC-TV series Hex, which runs on Thurday nights at 10 p.m. EDT on...

movies
“Jesus Documentary” to Paint “Objective” Picture of Born-Again Christians

An art-film documentary on young Christians has been picked up by Magnolia Pictures for di...

commerce
Another File-Sharing Network Bites the Dust

Sharman Networks Ltd, the makers and distributors of the hugely popular file-sharing netwo...

commerce
Microsoft Tries a Different Plan for TV on the Web

Computer software giant Microsoft is about to bring free, commercial television to the Web...

movies
Some Like It Hot

MGM has just released a new Collector's Edition DVD of Billy Wilder's classic 1958 comedy ...

movies
The Great Billy Wilder

In recognition of MGM's release of a Collector's Edition DVD of Billy Wilder's brilliant c...

movies
Mid-’60s Music Movie Mania

Those who like mid-'60s rock and roll music (and who doesn't?) should toddle over to Turne...

commerce
Mass-Marketing Good Taste

The Reebok shoe company has announced that it has signed young actress Scarlett Johansson ...

movies
Shyamalan Out of His Depth?

The critics have largely savaged M. Night Shyamalan's new film, The Lady in the Water. Man...

books
Charlie Chan, Bourgeois Detective

Those who have an interest in the meanings behind the Charlie Chan films are cordially inv...

movies
The Politics of Charlie Chan

My current piece on National Review Online is about "The Business End of Ethnic Polit...

music
Beach Boys Credit War

In a comment on my SMiLE post at the Reform Club, blogger Tom Van Dyke points out that Bea...

music
Music to Make You SMiLE

During the dog days of summer, all real Americans enjoy a bit of a pep-up by listening to ...

books
The Puzzles of The Closer

The Closer, on TNT Monday nights at 9 EDT, is an unacknowledged Americanization of the lon...

mysteries
Psych Up

The new USA Network mystery-comedy series Psych, which runs Friday nights at 10 EDT, is st...

mysteries
Monk and Religion

In my view, Monk is one of the best programs on television: it's funny, always has strong ...

mysteries
Touching Evil USA

Although the USA Network program Psych has its faults at present, it at least has a good c...

movies
Does the World Really Need Superman Returns?

Having cleared the decks of a few things, I finally got around to seeing Superman Returns....

books
The Case for Mickey Spillane

Mickey Spillane, who died earlier this week, was a much better writer than the mainstream ...

commerce
Disney Returns to the Family

The Walt Disney Company is returning to its roots as a purveyor of family-oriented enterta...

books
Hollywood and Religion

The relationship between religious believers and Hollywood has always been a tense thing, ...