'True Grit' Defies and Entertains

With “True Grit,” the Coen brothers have, not for the first time, produced a genre movie that defies its genre, filled with unconventional characters played by unlikely actors.

J-Term Journal: Fading to Black (Swan)

To celebrate the end of the semester, my roommate Anna and I caught a late showing of “Black Swan” at ...

‘Walking Dead’ Brings New Life to AMC

It needs to be said: zombies aren’t sexy. Fortunately, “The Walking Dead” goes for the brains, like any good zombie would.

Tricks Are Treats and Treats Trick in 'Trick 'r Treat'

I grew up in Hackensack, New Jersey. My house stood one block from Clinton Place, a street locally renowned for ...

Financial Aid for Television

We all have a list of fallen favorites. Mine includes “Freaks and Geeks,” “Clone High,” “Sports Night,” “Arrested Development,” and—as ...

‘Empire’ State of Mind

I can’t think of another show with the extraordinary credentials of “Boardwalk Empire,” much less one that lives up to them. Helmed by director Martin Scorsese and “Sopranos” writer Terence Winter, the show has been rightly hailed as manna from heaven. But it’s not heaven, it’s HBO.

Is Munn on the Money?

This summer, Olivia Munn, known for G4’s “Attack of the Show!” and almost-but-not-quite baring her lady parts in magazine spreads, wrestled said lady parts into business casual and became a correspondent for “The Daily Show.”

POSTCARD: Drill, Baby, Drill

But in fairness, I’m not just a victim of circumstance. I drink coffee, tea, Diet Coke—anything that doesn’t dissolve the glass it’s served in. I’ll remember to floss when it’s required by law.

POSTCARD: Hudson River Crossings

The last place anyone should be on a hot summer morning is on a bus.

Female Talk Show Hosts Face Comedic Challenges

'Ricky Gervais' Brings the Funny

In mid-February, “The Ricky Gervais Show” premiered to little fanfare on HBO. It has only three characters, all of whom ...

Let's Talk About Sex, Harvard

Encouraged by Harvard’s tendency to avoid academic and scholastic censorship, a surprising range of erotic art has appeared on campus.

Nurturing Twins on Primetime TV

I am overprotective of the television shows I like, especially when it’s clear from their low production values and offbeat ...

Widescreen to Flatscreen: Televising the Oscars

Warren Beatty, who co-hosted the Oscars in 1976, summed up the event fittingly: “We want to thank all of you ...

Remembering Radar O’Reilly: The Ratings Legacy of ‘M*A*S*H’

I don’t understand football. Not that it hasn’t been explained to me—many times, in fact—but my knowledge of downs and flags and penalties is like a house of cards.