John Hansen

Vaughn, Wilson recapture comedic chemistry as Google crashers in ‘The Internship’ (Movie review)

Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson are both experts at playing confident guys in situations where they have no business being confident. Despite their almost identical acting styles, they play off each other well, seeming like true best buds on screen. That chemistry paid dividends in 2005’s “Wedding Crashers,” and their more pointed (but still quite […]

Noticed by few, ‘The Killing’ has standout 3rd season (TV review)

When AMC’s “The Killing” started three seasons ago, it seemed like a miniseries more than a long-running series. And at its low points during the Rosie Larsen case, it felt like a padded miniseries, as Seattle Police Department detectives Holder and Linden followed red herrings.

‘We’re the Millers’ delivers the laughs promised in the preview (Movie review)

I wonder if “We’re the Millers” even had a casting call. Jason Sudeikis is as comfortable in his role as the small-time drug dealer who heads up the faux Miller clan as Vince Vaughn was in “Wedding Crashers” (like this movie, penned by Bob Fisher and Steve Faber). Jennifer Aniston continues to play against the Rachel type […]

‘The Conjuring’ effectively delivers standard scares

Movie review: James Wan’s film doesn’t conjure up new surprises, but it’s still scary.

The top 10 episodes of ‘Veronica Mars’ Season 2 (2005-06)

TV review: Thought not as satisfying as Season 1, Season 2 is still compelling as Veronica probes a bus explosion mystery.

‘X-Files’ Season 10 comic book heads up TV blasts from the past (Commentary)

It used to be that when a TV show was canceled, that was the end; any dreams of future projects remained just that — dreams of the fans. But producers and creative types are starting to realize that just because a show ends, it doesn’t mean the fan base stops caring. “Buffy” is about to […]

First episode impressions: ‘The Bridge’ (TV review)

While it’s not quite as good as the current season of “The Killing” (my favorite show at the moment), “The Bridge” (9 p.m. Central Wednesdays on FX) has a lot of the same elements that make that Seattle-based murder mystery great. In particular, the 90-minute premiere showcased a great sense of place. I’ve never been to the […]

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Shadow Stalker’ (1997) and ‘Shadows of the Empire: Evolution’ (1998) (Comic book reviews)

As I noted in my last flashback post, “Shadows of the Empire” was created in a boardroom to be the major “Star Wars” project of 1996. So if any of the creative people — including book author Steve Perry or Ryder Windham, who also had a creative role — had an idea, it had to […]

‘Star Wars’ flashback: ‘Shadows of the Empire’ (1996) (Book and comic review)

While “Shadows of the Empire” hasn’t aged as well as some other “Star Wars” novels and comic books, I have to admit I’ve gone back and reread them a few times now. There’s something kinda fun about this saga-within-a-saga, although I don’t like it as much now as I did in 1996, when I lovingly reviewed the […]

First episode impressions: ‘Under the Dome’ (TV review)

“Under the Dome” (9 p.m. Central Mondays on CBS), a 13-episode series based on Stephen King’s novel, starts with a rapid-fire opening hour where we meet the main characters and learn the nature of the dome the covers the small town of Chester’s Grove, Maine.