Sara Vilkomerson | The New York Observer

Welcome to the Jungle

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:38:38 -0500

You really can't quibble with The Pacific's pedigree: The epic 10-part miniseries, which will air on consecutive Sunday evenings on HBO beginning March 15, comes from Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg and Gary Goetzman, the same producing team that did the similarly themed 2001 miniseries Band of Brothers (Mr. Hanks and Mr. Goetzman also teamed up for 2008's acclaimed John Adams). This thing is big event television, and if you somehow haven't picked up on...

Snoozy Oscar-fest Ends Big With Bigelow!

Mon, 08 Mar 2010 01:34:28 -0500

Well, so that happened! Was it just us or were these just the most tediously boring Oscars in ages? And who should we blame? Maybe we should start with the very strange stage design, which we’re guessing was intended to be a nod to old Hollywood glamour, but felt more like an early-'70s set that was dusted off and given a quick polish (and please, we'll give a prize to anyone who...

Law & Disorder

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 18:37:28 -0500

Brooklyn’s Finest
Running time 140 minutes
Written by Michael C. Martin
Directed by Antoine Fuqua
Starring Richard Gere, Don Cheadle, Ethan Hawke, Wesley Snipes

2.5 Eyeballs out of 4

The opening scene of Brooklyn’s Finest features a conversation between a maybe crooked cop and a definitely crooked career criminal about the concept of right and wrong. Or rather, in their words, the degrees to which one can be both right-er and wrong-er. That...

Ghost in the Machine

Tue, 16 Feb 2010 19:28:01 -0500

The Ghost Writer
Running time 128 minutes
Written by Robert Harris and Roman Polanski
Directed by Roman Polanski
Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, Kim Cattrall, Olivia William

Can one put aside all the turmoil and controversy swirling around Roman Polanski while watching his latest film The Ghost Writer? Not very easily: The 76-year-old director was in the midst of postproduction when he was apprehended by Swiss police in 2009, and had to finish the...

Hollywood's '80s Time Machine

Tue, 19 Jan 2010 19:03:20 -0500

At a recent packed showing of Sherlock Holmes in Kips Bay, there was one preview that managed to wake up the winter-deadened audience: It started with some tittering, which led to some guilty giggling, which then proceeded into full-on hilarity. By the time the name of the film was announced (with arch aplomb by Apatow regular Craig Robinson), it was greeted by spontaneous applause: Hot Tub Time Machine. The film, which won’t be released...

The Week in DVR

Wed, 13 Jan 2010 14:39:26 -0500

Wednesday, Jan. 13:

The Human Spark

Oh, Alan Alda, what can’t you do? Mr. Alda (a man that, through an entirely un-scientifically conducted poll, we’ve concluded reminds most people of their dad) hosts the three-part PBS series devoted to what makes humans unique. Tonight’s installment, “So Human, So Chimp,” is devoted to—you guessed it!—chimpanzees! But don’t get your hopes up for giant diapers, bicycles and funny hats: This is PBS,...

Today in DVR: Groundhog Day

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:34:08 -0500

Groundhog Day is one of those movies where it's fun to imagine how the pitch meeting might have gone down: "Uh, so there's this guy, see, and he's in Punxsutawney for Groundhog's Day, and he keeps living the same day over and over and over again till he gets the day right. So he tries to kill himself with a toaster in the bathtub or jumping off a building or even letting a groundhog...

Today in DVR: Closer

Thu, 07 Jan 2010 10:38:36 -0500

Oooh, doesn't this movie just feel so 2004? File this one under Movies Not to See on a Date: Mike Nichols directed this moody adaptation of Patrick Marber's hit play about two couples who love and lust and hate and lie and betray one another a few times over. It stars a pre-Duplicity Clive Owen and Julia Roberts, Jude Law-playing a weak weasel, perfectly!-and Natalie Portman as a mysterious ingénue beauty who drove all...

Today in DVR: Watch Modern Family!

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 14:52:20 -0500

MODERN FAMILY

Yes, we know it's hard to come back to work after the holidays but on the upside there is new prime time TV programming! Back tonight is critical darling Modern Family, for our money the funniest new show on television. If you haven't been watching, we suggest you jump in with this evening's episode, which will revolve around sexy mama Gloria's ex-husband (and Manny's father) Javier showing up, played by Benjamin Bratt...

Fly Me to Pandora!

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 20:08:32 -0500

AVATAR
Running time 162 minutes
Written and directed by James Cameron
Starring Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana, Stephen Lang, Michelle Rodriguez, Giovanni Ribisi

For the record: I was formerly a member of the "Avatar Looks Ridiculous" club. I was unimpressed by the trailer (it looked to me like a live-action Led Zeppelin cover) and a little worn down by at least a year's worth of breathless fanboy hype about how this was...

Golden Globe Nominations! Look Who Got a Push and Who Got Snubbed (Viggo)

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 09:49:34 -0500

Some of us woke up with the very first flush of awards season fever! Today the nominations for the 67th annual Golden Globe Awards were announced and here are a few first impressions.

We Are Not That Unhappy With the Picks for Best Drama:

And that’s odd! Usually, the Golden Globes (Oscar’s party-hopping drunk sister) tend to get a little weird. However, in the case of the Best Drama Feature, Avatar,...

The Week in DVR: It's a Charlie Brown Christmas! Plus, The Deer Hunter, The New World, and Brad Pitt Too

Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:22:15 -0500

Monday: The Sing-Off

We can’t be the only ones who've noticed that all of our favorite shows are in repeats till 2010. Which, clearly, isn’t that far away and all, but we still can’t help but feel like there is some sort of network conspiracy against those of us with zero holiday plans. Which brings us to a brand new show that debuts tonight, The Sing-Off. Apparently, the Peacock network looked around at Fox’s American...

The Week in DVR: Ron Howard's Best, a Heavenly Father Goes Bad and Chefs Head to Napa!

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 11:36:55 -0500

Monday: Home for the Holidays

Is anyone out there suffering from a little post traumatic thanksgiving stress disorder? We understand! And, we suggest you check out 1995’s Home for the Holidays. Holly Hunter stars as a single parent (her daughter is played by Claire Danes, who mainly just chatters about wanting to lose her virginity!) who was recently fired after having an affair with her boss and slinks home for Thanksgiving. Her gay...

New Moon Has Enough Bite For Us!

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 13:41:47 -0500

So, Twilight Saga: New Moon. Where to start with this Twilight frenzy? Well, for starters, I--and the 13-year-old girl that will forever live inside me--totally get it! In the first film (and book) of the Stephenie Meyer series we were introduced to Bella (Kristen Stewart) and Edward (Robert Pattinson), as tortured and star-crossed as Romeo and Juliet (which is also the book that we see beside Bella's pillow in the opening scenes of New...

The Woman Who Takes Clooney To Task

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:24:44 -0500

"Think of me as you with a vagina,” Vera Farmiga’s character Alex says to George Clooney’s Ryan at one point in Up in the Air, the new film from Jason Reitman (Juno, Thank You For Smoking), opening in theaters Dec. 4. “It’s a killer line,” Ms. Farmiga said recently, drumming her fingers absently in a conference room overlooking the lights of Times Square. “That’s the line I had to stand in front of a...