Recently, I had the chance to talk with Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute) and executive producer Greg Daniels about the new season of The Office (find episodes here) and the appeal of the Dwight character (aka, the Fonzie of the 21st century). Enjoy! -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander
The Office is all about the comedy of awkward, and it's been able to ride the wave of pained laughter to become probably the most successful U.S. re-imagining of a U.K. TV hit. Kath & Kim similarly celebrates awkward ... but will the Molly Shannon/Selma Blair version of the Aussie favorite make a splash on this side of the world? Their Kath & Kim makes its broadcast premiere on NBC next week, but you don't have to wait that long to see the show and decide for yourself. It's available to watch now -- free, of course -- at Amazon Video On Demand, following in the fall sneak peek footsteps of Chuck, Life, Knight Rider and Lipstick Jungle. Kath & Kim is odd, but it did make me laugh, like when Kath breathlessly described an adored sweater this way: "It's like they threw a leopard in the air and caught it in embroidery." Instead of the workplace, their canvas is the mall, and the lives of those who consider the apex of culture. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander
What it is: Old favorite Chicago Public Radio show in a new format. Why it's significant: Are you disgusted by reality TV saturation on TV? Are you sick of a small whinny population of L.A. and Orange County residents getting a disproportionate amount of air time related to their actual contribution to American culture? Then, This American Life is for you. Not quite reality TV, not quite documentary, This American Life Started as a Chicago Public Radio Show in 1995 and debuted in 2007 on Showtime as a new TV series. Long time listeners might ask why? However, after watching the first episode, it’s easy to understand that the TV version allows the audience a new way of identifying with the person in the story. As it turns out, these people with their astonishing stories are just the opposite... ordinary. Despite how peculiar, outlandish, or eccentric their narrative, we can see that in fact they are quite normal people. Second, the visual format allows for a new depth of understanding. Something that we miss by just listening, the story teller’s environment, choice of clothing, hairstyle, manner of speaking, and hobbies all help to shape and tell their story.
For people who have never heard the radio show, This American Life is difficult to explain because the subject, the location, and even the format are slightly different between episodes. One episode is about how people experience God the next is about how the camera crew reacts to one of their unusual assignments. Engaging and interesting, each episode presents different perspectives and solutions to what sometimes seem to be common problems. Watch the first season of This American Life and it’ll make you laugh, it might even make you cry, but most importantly it’ll make you think. --Mike
What it is: 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days is about two college roommates who have 24 hours to make the ultimate choice as they finalize arrangements to meet a black market doctor for an illegal abortion. What follows is their harrowing descent into a world in where danger, darkness and tragedy lurk around every corner.
Why it's Significant: This Romanian film, winner of the 2007 Palme d'Or and unfairly overlooked at the Oscars, was #1 on several critics' best-of lists. Our own reviewer called the film "extraordinary," "decidedly bleak" and "intense, discomforting, and intensely riveting." Directed by Cristian Mungiu, 4 Months was a stark contrast to the year's other unwanted pregnancy film, the light and happy Juno. (I don't exactly recommend pairing the two as a double feature, though). Watch the trailer below. -- Ellen
So I recently had the pleasure of chatting with Tony Shalhoub, the Emmy-winning star of Monk, aka the show that helped establish the USA network as the enjoyable "characters welcome" place it is today. He talked about reaching the 100-episode mark with Monk this month (and how it's different from hitting 100 episodes of Wings), how the show gets cool guest stars like Stanley Tucci (hint: personal connections help) and the future of the series, which will return from its midseason break next year but has yet to be renewed for an eighth season. See the latest episodes here, and enjoy the conversation. -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon TV Demander
Michael Moore, ever the subversive character, released his new movie, Slacker Uprising, today. But it's not in theaters. It's only available online (including at Amazon Video On Demand). Oh, and it's free (not unlike the ramen and clean underwear Moore famously gave out to said slackers to motivate them to hit the polls). The movie follows Moore on a tour of swing states in 2004, and as I watched it I kept thinking of Titanic. Not because Kate Winslet plays Moore's love interest (wouldn't that be interesting), but because we know how this "Get John Kerry elected!" story ends (I guess that makes Karl Rove the metaphorical iceberg). Anyway, here's Moore's official quote on the whys and wherefores of this film: "This is being done entirely as a gift to my fans. The only return any of us are hoping for is the largest turnout of young voters ever at the polls in November. I think 'Slacker Uprising' will inspire millions to get off the couch and give voting a chance." -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, Amazon Video On Demand
Heroes is back, and the early word is that it's back strong. Fans went wild for what they saw at Comic-Con over the summer, and anticipation is high with Volume 3 ("Villains") just launched on TV (see it commercial-free at Amazon Video On Demand). Recently, I had the chance to take part in a wide-ranging Q&A with series creator Tim Kring and series star Zachary Quinto, who plays uber-villain Sylar (the watchmaker's son with a deadly taste for other people's powers). They discussed their plans for the new volume (which will be 13 episodes long), how Heroes helped Quinto get the role of Spock in the much-anticipated movie reboot of Star Trek, what the future holds for Sylar and the fans' impact on the show. Specifically, they heard the complaints about Volume 2 (too slow, too much time spent with new and not-super-engaging characters). Kring says this season "we are not really introducing any new characters that have their own storylines. We are concentrating very much on the core characters that we've had for, you know, two seasons now." And in "Villains," they "are all feeding one, giant story." And Quinto adds, "for a cast as large as ours, I think all of my fellow actors would agree that each of us gets a significant amount to chew on in all the episodes that we're in. There's never a feeling that one storyline is suffering in favor of another." And if you're new to Heroes, Kring says they've worked to make it comfortable to dive in. "We didn't want to feel like you had to have watched two years of this show to catch up. We wanted to answer things really quickly so that you could move forward on this volume and have a kind of clean path in front of you." See the rest of the Q&A here.-- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander
Heroes is back, and the early word is that it's back strong. Fans went wild for what they saw at Comic-Con over the summer, and anticipation is high with Volume 3 ("Villains") set to launch tonight on TV (and then commercial-free at Amazon Video On Demand). Recently, I had the chance to take part in a wide-ranging Q&A with series creator Tim Kring and series star Zachary Quinto, who plays uber-villain Sylar (the watchmaker's son with a deadly taste for other people's powers). They discussed their plans for the new volume (which will be 13 episodes long), how Heroes helped Quinto get the role of Spock in the much-anticipated movie reboot of Star Trek, what the future holds for Sylar and the fans' impact on the show. Specifically, they heard the complaints about Volume 2 (too slow, too much time spent with new and not-super-engaging characters). Kring says this season "we are not really introducing any new characters that have their own storylines. We are concentrating very much on the core characters that we've had for, you know, two seasons now." And in "Villains," they "are all feeding one, giant story." And Quinto adds, "for a cast as large as ours, I think all of my fellow actors would agree that each of us gets a significant amount to chew on in all the episodes that we're in. There's never a feeling that one storyline is suffering in favor of another." And if you're new to Heroes, Kring says they've worked to make it comfortable to dive in. "We didn't want to feel like you had to have watched two years of this show to catch up. We wanted to answer things really quickly so that you could move forward on this volume and have a kind of clean path in front of you." See the rest of the Q&A here.-- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander
Sure, we've had some great shows make their fall comebacks already (hello, House!), but this week is the biggie: Heroes, The Office, How I Met Your Mother, Law & Order: SVU, NCIS, Grey's Anatomy and one I'll be hearing about on a regular basis from my cubicle neighbor, Dancing With the Stars (go Cloris Leachman!). There's much more, of course, which is why I'm already worried about having enough time for things like, you know, sleeping. On top of all that, though, Amazon Video On Demand has early availability of two shows that are at the top of my "looking-forward-to" list: Chuck and Life, both of which had strike-shortened debut seasons last time around. Chuck, I've raved about at length: geektastic spyjinks plus humor plus engaging stars equals a show you should be watching. Life is a procedural with a twist: The cop is a con who spent 12 years behind bars (for a crime he didn't commit). I'm pretty burned out on procedurals, but Life is different enough to keep me coming back. Watch them here now. Free. No commercials. No time to tarry -- I've got to see 'em before Heroes hits tonight! -- Stephanie Reid-Simons, TV Demander
Last night I watched a group of 80-somethings sing rock ‘n roll covers for two hours. And loved it. Yep, I know, “nerd alert” right? Well, I challenge you to watch Young @ Heart and NOT enjoy it. A huge hit at the Los Angeles Film Festival, Young @ Heart is a documentary that follows a singing group of senior citizens (with an average age of 81 – the oldest being 92) who do covers of everything from The Rolling Stones and James Brown to David Bowie and Radiohead. They were filmed during the weeks leading up to a sold out show in their home town of North Hampton, MA. Rehearsing up to three times a week, it was hilarious and I have to say, pretty touching to watch WWII vets and great great grandmas spend countless hours memorizing the words to Sonic Youth’s "Schizophrenia" (their version by the way, is awesome) and discuss topics such as still being a “sexy beast” (I won't elaborate any further about that). Young @ Heart was a surprisingly up close and personal peak into the lives of a group of people who refuse to let their age prevent them from doing what they love, even when faced with the inevitable challenges of growing older. I’ll admit, along with the laughing came a few tears (but I'm kind of a crier in general), and overall it was a lazy weeknight well spent. Even if the whole senior-citizens-singing-covers-of-Clash-songs isn’t your cup ‘o tea (definitely can’t say that it’s mine) watch this movie and I bet you'll like it, simply because it's good. --Kelsey
Heroes
Sure, we've had some great shows make their fall comebacks already (hello, 