Am I disappointed in the new HBO/Crave documentary “Wise Guy: David Chase and The Sopranos”? Fagettbout it. The two-part film, streaming now on Max in the US and Crave in Canada, is brilliant. Oscar winning director Alex Gibney (“The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicone Valley”) turns the tables by putting Chase, now 79, in
Warning: spoilers ahead. When last we left our three heroes Charles, Oliver and Mabel (Steve Martin, Martin Short and Selina Gomez) they were celebrating solving the riddle of Season Three: who killed actor Ben Glenroy (Paul Rudd). As in other seasons on Only Murders in the Building, however, the next season’s whodunnit was pre-teased. There
Cue the Sun!: The Invention of Reality TV by Emily Nussbaum (Random House). In the introduction to Cue the Sun!, Pulitzer Prize-winning television critic Emily Nussbaum reveals that in 2003 she told a friend that she wanted to write a book about this new genre called ‘reality TV’. After all, Survivor was a smash hit.
About two hours northeast of Toronto stands a movie palace carved out of cedars and mosquitos. There are more theatre seats in the five screening rooms in this homemade multiplex than there are people in the small town where it exists, Kinmount, Ontario. Yet, from May through October, every summer for 40 years, families from
In the past few weeks, I’ve posted a couple of “From the Vault” episodes over at brioux.tv: the podcast. One featured a 2014 interview with Bill Daily talking about his boss on The Bob Newhart Show; the other was another 2014 interview, this time with WKRP in Cincinnati creator Hugh Wilson. I’ve done others in
Back in 1995, during my days writing for TV Guide Canada, I had a memorable encounter with Faye Dunaway. At the time, the Academy Award-winning actress had a reputation for being difficult; certainly on a set during a production but also in exchanges with reporters. “Good luck,” I was warned after landing the assignment. My
Looking for something you can really sink your teeth into on TV this summer? You need to plate up Barbecue Showdown on Netflix. It is the most delicious food porn, a sizzling cooking competiton for lean times. Vegans, avert your eyes. Things are about to get real. Have to admit I missed Season’s 1 and
Several recent pop culture documentaries have dug deep into the age-old boomer gold mine. There was yet another study of The Beach Boys as well as Jim Henson’s legacy with the Muppets. Steve Martin was shown to be not always such a wild and crazy guy. Even the original Beatles’ doc “Let it Be” has