Jessica Lange

Usually the first thing added to a film when it is remade is glitz. American films from the 1970s had their own distinct, philosophical quality to them, something that inevitably gets lost in translation when the material is put to screen again by a new team of filmmakers. Still, the one thing I didn’t anticipate while watching screenwriter William Monahan and star Mark Wahlberg tackle The Gambler was a lack of visceral thrills. Director Rupert Wyatt’s film nails the look of 1974’s The Gambler, but it lacks the feel of the original.

After the somewhat languid pacing of American Horror Story: Freak Show in the season’s first half, this week’s aptly titled episode “Blood Bath” kicks things into another gear. Though Twisty’s death felt unexpected and climactic (despite occurring only five episodes into the season), the clown’s untimely departure now appears relatively inconsequential compared to this week’s events.

The cold open hints at the episode’s overall trajectory. As Gloria sits on a couch recounting Dandy’s troubled childhood, the viewer gets a stronger sense of just how twisted her son is. While the show always made it clear that he was far from a normal child, the images of him preparing to cut a young girl’s hair off and the discussion of him murdering a cat leave no doubt about his problems. As I’ve talked about extensively in earlier reviews, subtlety has never been Freak Show’s aesthetic goal, but Murphy goes out of his way in the scene to emphasize Dandy’s depravity. Though it feels a bit over the top, it does jibe with the episode’s bloody conclusion.

On September 11th, 2001, a dark chapter in world history was written. The World Trade Center, the part of the Pentagon and thousands of lives were lost at the hands of terrorism. A towering beacon of hope, the World Trade Center was destroyed and with it, the feeling of safety and security. 9/11 instantly became a date in which lives were mourned and evil hoped to one day be eradicated forever. To commemorate this year’s 9/11, the Nitehawk Cinema in Brooklyn, New York hosted a very special screening of King Kong, the 1976 remake of the 1933 classic of the same name. The Nitehawk chose this particular film to be screened because the Twin Towers were featured very prominently in the picture’s finale location. This was a modern change of scenery since the Empire State Building served as the original location in the 1933 film.

Since its premiere, The Good Wife has done what is nearly impossible for most shows- it is stunningly smart, perfectly paced, and beautifully written, and it has only gotten better in its game-changing fifth season. Guest stars are nothing new to the show, which has the most creative and entertaining guest casting on television, and it uses these performers incredibly well, folding them into stories the audience is already invested in alongside characters we care about.

In Secret Written and directed by Charlie Stratton USA, 2013 What occurs in the new film In Secret feels less like a natural progression of logical events, instead of something more pre-ordained and unnecessarily fatalistic. The characters existing inside of this turgid tragedy do not act freely, but as if guided by an invisible puppet …

If there’s one week in which a series entitled American Horror Story simply has to deliver the goods, it’s the one containing All Hallow’s Eve. In that respect, “Fearful Pranks Ensue” falls a little short, particularly if one expected it to step up the freakiness and/or gore quotient. Actually, as it turns out, it belongs to a entirely different sort of tradition: the time-honored transitional episode. Only in its closing moments does it threaten to take its genre elements to the next level of nutty.

The season premiere of American Horror Story: Coven weaves a menacing tale of witchcraft that pushes past anything that would resemble good taste. A Teenage virgin’s vagina is used as a deadly weapon; a bull’s head is crowned upon an African American slave, which leads to a depressing transformation of a man into minotaur; and a date rape leads to a disastrous bus crash, killing several teenage boys. That doesn’t include the various men held as prisoners and tortured in an underground dungeon, the apparent deaths of several characters; and oh, did I mention the magical vagina?

American Horror Story Review, Season 1, Episode 12, “Afterbirth” Written by Jessica Sharzer Directed by Bradley Buecker Airs Wednesdays at 10:00 pm ET on FX Warning: Spoilers The opening flashback brings back the delusional Ben we knew for most of the season. Vivien’s ready to leave, but Ben pulls her back with promises of piecing …

American Horror Story Review, Season 1, Episode 10, “Smoldering Children” Written by James Wong Directed by Michael Lehmann Airs Wednesdays at 10:00 pm ET on FX Warning: Spoilers There’s very little to complain about in “Smoldering Children.” The wonderfully directed episode is a highlight of the season that wraps up several mysteries, moves the plot …

American Horror Story Review, Season 1, Episode 9, “Spooky Little Girl” Written by Jennifer Salt Directed by John Scott Airs Wednesdays at 10:00 pm ET on FX “Spooky Little Girl” covers a lot of ground. It introduces a possible recurring character and spends equal time with several plotlines. This week, Hayden discovers more about her …

American Horror Story Review, Season 1, Episode 8, “Rubber Man” Written by Ryan Murphy Directed by Miguel Arteta Airs Wednesdays at 10:00 pm ET on FX Last week’s “Open House” wasn’t an episode as much as a poor transition to the excellent “Rubber Man,” an episode that thoroughly delivers on several levels. This week, viewers …

American Horror Story Review, Season 1, Episode 6, “Piggy Piggy” Written by Jessica Sharzer Directed by Michael Uppendahl Airs Wednesdays at 10:00pm ET on FX As another solid episode, Piggy Piggy manages to progress the plot in a more traditional and serialized manner while also infusing a strong feeling of discomfort. This week follows each …

American Horror Story Episode 1.03 “Murder House” Written by Jennifer Salt Directed by Bradley Buecker Airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET on FX This week’s episode of American Horror Story, “Murder House”, improves the series in several ways. First, the pacing has slowed for the better. It’s still too fast at times, but at least it’s not …

American Horror Story Episodes 1.01, “Pilot”/1.02, “Home Invasion” Written by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk Directed by Ryan Murphy (1.01) and Alfonso Gomez-Rejon (1.02) Airs Wednesdays at 10pm ET on FX The creators of FX’s new American Horror Story have already crammed two seasons’ worth of story arcs into the series’ first two episodes. Unlike …