Have Excedrin handy: This post is about ‘Terminator’ continuity (Movie and TV commentary)
What happened to Derek Reese and Cameron? And why does Kate Connor look so young? The “Terminator” timeline(s) is (are) complex enough without these unanswered questions from “Terminator Salvation,” which opens today.
Is ‘The Office’ making Michael into a good boss? (TV commentary)
“The Office” is five seasons old, so this is about the time you’d expect it to fall apart, but it’s as funny as ever. It’s also the time you’d expect the writers to morph Michael Scott, the archetypal Worst Boss Ever, into a good boss. They are doing that, but rather than ruining the show,
5 random thoughts (Commentary)
Here are five random thoughts. 1. What does pop singer Adele mean when she asks, “Should I give up, or should I just keep chasing pavements?” As I understand it, the British phrase “chasing pavements” means “giving up,” so that would make the lyric redundant, wouldn’t it?
Maybe mountain lions aren’t so bad, or: Why this season of ‘24’ is the worst ever (TV commentary)
Can we put the Kim Bauer/mountain lion jokes to rest now? Since Jack’s daughter was briefly pursued by a big cat in Season 2, the incident has become a touchstone for critics who want to illustrate silly moments in “24.” That sequence never really bothered me. There are indeed mountain lions in the hills around Los Angeles; they
Is ‘Lost’ the most overrated sci-fi show ever? (TV commentary)
The latest issue of Wizard asks “Is ‘Lost’ the greatest sci-fi show of all time?” I can answer that in two words: Um … no. I don’t know where the magazine ranked “Lost” in its top 25 — it was wrapped in plastic and I refuse to purchase an issue that asks such a stupid question on
Need more ‘Fringe’ after Tuesday’s season finale? Try the comic books (Commentary)
The first season finale of J.J. Abrams’ “Fringe” (8 p.m. Central Tuesday on Fox, and the next day at Hulu) promises to delve deeper into the relationship between Good Mad Scientist Walter Bishop and Bad Mad Scientist William Bell. They were lab partners at MIT; Bell went on to found mysterious corporation Massive Dynamic and Bishop went
Happy (day after) Mother’s Day from ‘Gossip Girl’: Brittany Snow returns to TV (Commentary)
It’s appropriate that Brittany Snow spells her name the normal way, rather than “Britney,” “Brittani” or “Britni.” The actress strikes me as an old-fashioned girl, because I first saw her as Meg Pryor in the 1960s-set “American Dreams,” that 2002-05 NBC series where Donovan’s “Season of the Witch” played in the background during every episode.
John’s top 10 TV/Internet shows of 2008 (finally) … and random thoughts
Here’s evidence that “writer” is more of a lifestyle than a profession. When I lost my job to a layoff on Dec. 2, one of my first regrets was that I wouldn’t get to publish my end-of-year top 10 lists.
The truth about ‘Dollhouse’: It’s Ballard’s show, not Echo’s (TV commentary)
From the beginning, “Dollhouse” was a rickety premise for a series, but it strikes me as being purposely rickety — as if creator Joss Whedon wants to challenge himself — with each episode attempting to prop up the foundation.