John Hansen

‘Dating Rules from My Future Self’ makes web TV cool again (Review)

My top show of 2007 was a web series — “quarterlife” — and three of my top 10 of 2008 were web series, headlined by “Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog.” I was even titling my year-end lists “Top 10 TV/Internet shows.” It definitely seemed like TV and the internet were well on the way to merging […]

First episode impressions: ‘Napoleon Dynamite’ (TV review)

“Napoleon Dynamite,” the 2004 movie, hit a sweet spot of comedy that no previous movie had even aimed for, let alone achieved. Not everyone understood why it was funny, but for those who did, it gained an extra layer of insider humor because we had that great feeling of knowing where writers Jared and Jerusha […]

All 22 episodes of ‘Angel’ Season 2 (2000-01), ranked

TV review: Angel Investigations moves into the Hyperion Hotel and the cast and mythology also expand.

David Fincher makes ‘Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ better than it deserves to be (Movie review)

I subscribe to Entertainment Weekly but I’m not an avid follower of the book world, so I kind of got the impression that EW was forcing things in the wake of “Harry Potter” when it became obsessed with “Twilight,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” and “Hunger Games.” To me, these all seem to be niche franchises that are being pushed into […]

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

Even as NBC phases out the “Law & Order” franchise, it’s adding “The Firm” (premiered Sunday, continues at 9 p.m. Central Thursdays), a franchise that picks up from the John Grisham novel/movie.

Midseason TV preview: The momentum continues? (Commentary)

Fall 2011 served up so many good shows, and so few of them have been canceled, that it’s easy to overlook the midseason premieres. Yet the networks have found a few open slots. I have a feeling the top two on this list will be really good, furthering this season’s status as the best since […]

Best TV decision in recent memory: ‘American Horror Story’ to start new yarn in Season 2 (Commentary)

I loved “American Horror Story” when it first started out, then kind of cooled on it toward the end of the season. It didn’t become flat-out bad, but it wasn’t as scary and surprising as when it first started. But the recent announcement that Season 2 will feature a new cast in a new setting has me excited about […]

After ‘Slaves of the Republic,’ what story would you like to see adapted to ‘The Clone Wars’ next? (Comic book review)

“Star Wars: The Clone Wars” (7 p.m. Central Fridays on Cartoon Network) is currently in the midst of its first-ever adaptation from another medium: It has adapted the first two-thirds of Henry Gilroy’s 2008-09 six-issue Dark Horse comic series “Slaves of the Republic,” and the trilogy’s final episode is slated for Jan. 6.

John’s top 10 movies of 2011

As always, I start my top 10 movies of the year list with a disclaimer: Since I live in a small town, I haven’t seen well-reviewed films such as “The Descendants,” “Like Crazy” or “Young Adult” yet. When I do, I might have to rejigger my list a bit. For now, though, here are my top 10 movies of 2011: […]

All 22 episodes of ‘Angel’ Season 1 (1999-2000), ranked

TV review: Whedon’s second series starts off as an anthology, but ultimately he realizes fans have come for the big picture.