Television

First was the play, then came the film, and now we're 140 episodes deep in Meet The Browns sitcom. Like a lot of Tyler Perry projects, the family dynamic can be a bit bamboozling at times. So...it's an elderly man living with his daughter and his niece and her husband and their adopted kids, with regular appearances by his neighbour who is also Aunt to...oh heck, let's just get on with the review...

It sounds like nothing new. Hard-boiled detective uses computers and other forms of technology to solve cases. It isn’t anything new, except the detective in question is Joe Mannix, and the series started in 1967. The computer that Mannix used took up an entire room and was queried using cardboard punch cards. This wasn’t science fiction. We’re not talking some newly discovered Irwin Allen series. Mannix didn’t go after aliens or robots. This was a down-to-earth gritty detective show. Mike Connors played the tough-as-nails detective. He was perfect for the part and blended into the role seamlessly for eight years.

"As you know, in less than two hours liquor will be declared illegal by decree of the distinguished gentlemen of our nation's Congress. To those beautiful, ignorant bastards. Rest assured that, dry though the country may be, I am in the midst of concluding arrangements that will keep Atlantic City wet..."

Lately, you might have heard a lot of folks talking about getting home for a little Nucky. Well... it's not what you think.

And so, for the second time, Hawaii Five-O has reached the end of its run. The first time happened on April 5th, 1980 when the final episode aired.  Now the series ends its run of DVD releases as Paramount now issues the 12th and final season of the landmark series. There will be a third ending, let's hope not for a long time when the revival series closes its doors in the future. For now fans can be content that they can finally complete their collection of the original series.

James M Cain wrote Mildred Pierce in 1941 and based the character on a woman he was seeing at the time. It's said that she offered much of the insight into women's plights of the depression era from undisclosed women. Not that Cain needed help in writing a compelling story. He's had a few hit novels that include The Postman Always Rings Twice. Mildred Pierce was an almost instant hit and was soon optioned for a film in 1945 staring Joan Crawford, for which she won an Oscar

“I've gone and torn my family apart and I'm truly sorry.”

I have a confession to make; I first started watching Big Love for what I thought would be the salacious subject matter. Polygamy seemed tawdry and unnatural. I wanted to see how HBO handled it. Soon after watching I was touched by the depth of love and commitment this family had for each other.

Look up in the sky. It’s a bird. It’s a plane. No, it’s…. well, Clark Kent. And we finally have to say goodbye to the wonderful universe that this show has brought to the Superman mythology. With the show ending on its own terms we expected a lot from this season, and it was something just short of impossible for the cast and crew to deliver on those fans expectations. The season wasn't perfect, and I'm sure that each fan walked away disappointed in something that happened, or more likely didn't happen.

Tim is the lone passive, sane voice in an insane world that whirls around him. Take the kooky scenarios you might find in an episode of Seinfeld, animated them (barely) and pepper it with some HBO-acceptable crassness, and you're looking at this show. Done in a minimalist 2D animation, each episode consists of two separate stories. By splitting the episodes in half, the two chapters make the show resemble the current trend of 10 to 15 minute long cartoons, popularized by Cartoon Network's “Adult Swim” programs.

"On every world wherever people are, in the deepest part of the winter, at the exact midpoint, everybody stops and turns and hugs. As if to say, "Well done! Well done, everyone! We're halfway out of the dark." Back on Earth, we call this Christmas, or the Winter Solstice. On this world, the first settlers called it the Crystal Feast. You know what I call it? I call it expecting something for nothing!"

In 2005 the BBC decided to bring back the gone-but-never-forgotten character.

"Your mission, should you decide to accept it..."

Those words have certainly been a part of the American pop culture for almost 50 years. It all started with the Desilu television series that hit the airwaves in 1966. That first year is probably unfamiliar to most of us. It was in black & white and starred Steven Hill as the leader of the Impossible Mission Force. A year later the show jumped to color and Peter Graves took over the team as the indomitable Jim Phelps.