Linda Holmes

Are Women Really Missing From Film Criticism?

Linda Holmes — Fri, 24 May 2013 18:37:00 +0000

A new study from the Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film has led to headlines claiming that women are missing from film criticism. "Female Movie Critics' Influence Shrinking, Says Study," reads the headline in the Chicago Tribune.

Breakin' The Rules: 20 General Principles Suspended In 'Fast And Furious 6'

Linda Holmes — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:49:00 +0000

1. Newton's Laws Of Motion

2. The Reluctance Of Brilliant Criminal Masterminds To Freely Confess

3. The Inability Of Two Things To Coexist In The Same Physical Space

4. The Integrity Of Vending Machines

5. Gravity

6. Gina Carano's Ability To Snap Most Of These People Like Twigs Pretty Quickly, If We're Being Honest

7. The Hardness Of Cars, Which Are Actually Kind Of Uncomfortable To Land On From Great Heights

8. The Assumption That Even Innocent Bystanders Who Do Not Have Speaking Parts Have To Not Die In Order For The Good Guys To Be Considered Entirely Successful

Really Most Sincerely Bad: Fox's Nasty 'Does Someone Have To Go?'

Linda Holmes — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:26:00 +0000

The biggest problem with pretending all of reality television is categorically odious is that it denies us the opportunity to identify and hold accountable what is actually odious. To those who insist that it's all gross — that no matter the documentary aspirations or good-natured competitiveness of plenty of unscripted television, it all belongs in the same giant dumpster — I am your Crocodile Dundee of distaste: Those aren't destructive and grotesque and irresponsible.

'Before Midnight': Jesse And Celine Are Older Now, And So Are We

Linda Holmes — Thu, 23 May 2013 12:42:00 +0000

[Note: Before Midnight is an especially difficult movie to write about, simply because for some people, even what has become of Jesse and Celine since Before Sunset is information that they don't want. But it's impossible — absolutely impossible — to write about the movie without talking about where they stand and what the premise is. I did my absolute best to spoil as little beyond that as possible.

Reaction Saturation And Sunday Night Television

Linda Holmes — Mon, 20 May 2013 12:57:00 +0000
Consider what goes on in your brain when you, for instance, you watch an episode of Mad Men.
First, you have a reaction. "That's weird" is a reaction. So is "yuck." So is "wow." "This doesn't make sense" is a reaction, "that's a great dress" is a reaction, and "WHAT?" is a reaction.
Next, you might choose to push on your reaction until it matures into a thought. "I didn't buy that conflict because I don't think Joan would take that position on this issue, based on past events" is a thought.

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Cancellation Blues And Cultural Etiquette

Linda Holmes — Fri, 17 May 2013 14:24:00 +0000
To mark network upfronts week, we talk in this episode about the cancellation of shows, including the ones that came and went that we honestly can hardly remember as well as the ones — like ABC's delightful, hilarious Happy Endings — that break our hearts.

Notes On A 'Scandal': Fitz Is The Most Dumpable Man On Television

Linda Holmes — Fri, 17 May 2013 12:32:00 +0000
If you watch Scandal, you know that there, Fitzgerald Grant is the President of the United States, and that he goes by "Fitz." Now "Fitz," let's face it, is already a pretty punchable name, given that combined with his personality, it makes him sound like somebody with a beanie and a lot of polo shirts grew up, got even richer, had a son, and taught him how to give swirlies to the math team.

While The Audience Turned Away, 'American Idol' Found Some Great Singers

Linda Holmes — Thu, 16 May 2013 18:11:00 +0000

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yMet8T87JU8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-aAwKQ2CMQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hp1x6Mbs5SA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beUD20VZ8Fg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64S5Rn9mlxs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRTVnSioKDQ

A Farewell To 'The Office': The 10 Best Episodes

Linda Holmes — Thu, 16 May 2013 16:39:00 +0000
It really only hit yesterday: It's the end of The Office.
After nine seasons, Dunder Mifflin is going dark Thursday night, with an hour-long retrospective at 8:00 and a 75-minute episode at 9:00 that may or may not feature a cameo from Steve Carell.

What's On TV This Fall? The Networks Roll Out Their New Shows

Linda Holmes — Wed, 15 May 2013 15:31:00 +0000
This was the week of the broadcast network "upfront" presentations, which are the splashy ads for new programming that networks show to advertisers to entice them into ignoring their fears that everybody is fast-forwarding through all the commercials anyway.
Because the trailers for the new shows are ads, just like movie trailers are, it's critically important not to draw conclusions about what will be good and bad based on those ads when you bump into them. For one thing, a lot of shows will be retooled to some degree before they actually air.