Golden Globe Awards Assessing Last Year’s Movies Through the Lens of This Year’s Golden Globe Nominees by Brad Balfour Just as the Waterford ball drops, so does the anticipation for the 75th annual Golden Globes — the first major awards show of 2018. Being broadcast live, the show can be seen on NBC, Sunday, January 6th, starting at 8 pm ET. Since the Hollywood Foreign Press Association’s 90 or so critics divide their cinematic choices into two oddly skewed categories — “Best

Fences FENCES (2016) Starring Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Stephen Henderson, Mykelti Williamson, Jovan Adepo, Russell Hornsby, Saniyya Sidney, Christopher Mele, Leslie Boone, Jason Silvis, Toussaint Raphael Abessolo, John W. Iwanonkiw, Phil Nardozzi, Jeff Smith, Tra’Waan Coles, Benjamin Donlow, Mark Falvo and Malik Abdul Khaaliq. Screenplay by August Wilson. Directed by Denzel Washington. Distributed by Paramount Pictures.  138 minutes.  Rated PG-13. August Wilson’s The P

NBCUNIVERSAL EVENTS — NBCUniversal Press Tour, January 2017 — NBC’s “Taken” — Pictured: (l-r) Alex Cary, Executive Producer; Clive Standen, and Jennifer Beals — (Photo by: Paul Drinkwater/NBC) Clive Standen, Jennifer Beals and Alex Cary Exercise Their Special Set of Skills in Taken by Jay S. Jacobs “I don’t know who you are.  I don’t know what you want.  If you are looking for ransom, I can tell you I don’t have money.  But what I do have are a very particular set of skills,

André Holland and Carra Patterson André Holland and Carra Patterson Drive August Wilson’s Jitney onto The Broadway Stage by Brad Balfour Before he died in 2005, playwright August Wilson had created the 10-play Pittsburgh Cycle (or Century Cycle) chronicling black American life which spanned over 10 decades. This work is not only Wilson’s benchmark but is a touchstone for fans of great theater and creative writing made in the USA. His insights into black life ring true and off

David Morse and Ryan Hurst at the New York press day for “Outsiders.” David Morse and Ryan Hurst Step Into WGN’s Outsiders Season Two by Brad Balfour Just like its name suggests, the WGN’s series Outsiders is definitely something that engenders risk; it, so to speak, sits “outside” of expectations. Think about it: a weird community in the hollers of Kentucky resists efforts to corral an extended family by local law enforcement and societal conventions, all the while keeping t

2 Guns 2 GUNS (2013) Starring Denzel Washington, Mark Wahlberg, Edward James Olmos, Bill Paxton, Paula Patton, James Marsden, Fred Ward, Robert John Burke, Greg Sproles, Patrick Fischler. Edgar Arreola, Derek Solorsano, Kyle Russell Clements, Christopher Matthew Cook, Tim Bell, Tait Fletcher, Jesus Jr., Azure Parsons, John McConnell, Jack Landry, Ritchie Montgomery, Ambyr Childers, Robert Larriviere and Lucy Faust. Screenplay by Blake Masters. Directed by Baltasar Kormakur. D

The Manchurian Candidate THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE (2004) Starring Denzel Washington, Liev Schreiber, Meryl Streep, Kimberly Elise, Jon Voight, Vera Farmiga, Jeffrey Wright, Sakina Jaffrey, Simon McBurney, Paul Lazar, Alyson Renaldo, Adam LeFevre, Robin Hitchcock, Pablo Schreiber, Tom Stechstulte, Anthony Mackie, Dorian Missick, Miguel Ferrer, Ted Levine, Bruno Ganz, Jude Ciccolella, Dean Stockwell, BeBe Winans, Zeljko Ivanek, Charles Napier, Tracey Walter, Forrest Sawyer, Uke

James Pickens, Jr. in “The Lyon’s Den.” James Pickens, Jr. Into The Lyon’s Den by  Jay S. Jacobs Every year, TV Guide does a special issue called “The Best Show You’re Not Watching.”  In it, they champion a TV series that has fine acting, excellent writing and good production values, but somehow has not seemed to attract a huge audience.  Sometimes the honor has helped a show find its footing (The Practice, The Gilmore Girls, Seventh Heaven).  Other times it has helped a terr