Ryan Murphy
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Scream Queens, Ep. 1.01-1.02, “Pilot” and “Hell Week”
Given all of the momentum that Scream Queens had coming into the fall season, on the back of a marketing effort that began as far back as April, it’s a shame that in so many areas it falls completely short of its potential. More
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Ryan Murphy’s ‘American Crime Story’ gets its first teaser
While TV creator and showrunner Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens is set to make its debut later this year, he is already hard at work on a new series. Titled American Crime Story, the series will follow the same anthology structure that’s a defining aspect of Murphy’s fellow FX series American Horror Story. Unlike the latter, […] More
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Watch two new trailers and an official first look at ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’
The FX horror anthology series American Horror Story is set to return for a fifth season in October, and two new teasers and a first look have now been released. Titled American Horror Story: Hotel, the new season will, as the subtitle indicates, be set in a hotel, with Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Matt Bomer, […] More
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First ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ trailer is short by stylish
After releasing a set of creepy teaser videos, FX has dropped the first trailer for American Horror Story: Hotel, the latest iteration of Ryan Murphy’s twisted AHS anthology series. Unfortunately, the trailer isn’t much longer than the previous teasers, running a brief 30 seconds long. As they do with every season, FX has turned out […] More
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Glee: A Study in Imperfection, Optimism, and Hope
Glee is, above all, a completely unique pop artifact. When it burst onto the television and music scenes in 2009, it seemed like a truly terrible idea. Television musicals had been attempted before, of course, but never successfully, and it seemed as though Glee was just riding the waves of successful Disney Channel products like High […] More
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Ryan Murphy’s ‘Scream Queens’ casts Jamie Lee Curtis and Emma Roberts
Ryan Murphy’s horror-comedy anthology series on Fox, Scream Queens, has cast its first two major leads. The Hollywood Reporter confirms that Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis have been cast, but details on their characters are currently being kept under wraps. Roberts has had experience working in the genre on Murphy’s American Horror Story and […] More
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American Horror Story, Ep. 4.08: “Blood Bath” picks up the pace
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. More
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American Horror Story, Ep. 4.02: “Massacres and Matinees” proves the fun of camp
Despite the somewhat stately pace of the season premiere “Monsters Among Us,” the sheer inanity of the action happening onscreen created an off-the-wall vibe. Whether it was the special talents afforded by Jimmy’s syndactyly, Ethel’s beard and bizarre accent, or Elsa singing a song that wasn’t released until 20 years after the show’s setting, Murphy and Falchuk made it clear that, in true “freak show” fashion, spectacle would be given precedent over logic. In this week’s episode, “Massacres and Matinees,” the bonkers factor is raised a notch, as is the fun. More
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American Horror Story, Ep. 4.01: “Monsters Among Us” fascinating, repulsive, and oddly touching
The fourth season of American Horror Story starts off with a stunning cold open amidst a quaint farmhouse. After stumbling upon a gruesome crime scene, a milkman makes an even more shocking discovery in a rural home. It’s difficult to remember an episode of AHS in which the camera work is so effective as it is here. “Monsters Among Us,” directed by show creator Ryan Murphy, prefers to keep things hidden off-screen, and rather than show the audience what it is, we instead get a series of gasps, startling sound effects and a series shots that are framed to hide the dark mystery. “Monsters Among Us” keeps viewers guessing until after the spectacular opening credits before it pulls the curtain up on conjoined twins Dot and Bette Tattler. Ever playful, Murphy’s visuals are also concealing, and yet telling. More
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Watch the trailer for old school slasher ‘The Town That Dreaded Sundown’ remake
From Blumhouse Pictures and American Horror Story producer Ryan Murphy comes the trailer for the long gestating re-imagining of 1976’s cult classic The Town That Dreaded Sundown. The pseudo-remake/sequel hybrid is directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon and written by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, who are both frequent collaborators on Murphy’s Glee and AHS. The new version of The Town […] More
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American Horror Story gets a teaser for its upcoming season, titled ‘Freakshow’
While FX has garnered acclaim over the years for shows such as Justified and Louie, it has also gained a number of fans for its show American Horror Story. Co-created by Ryan Murphy, the anthology style show has received both critical and commercial acclaim, with many anticipating its upcoming fourth season. Titled Freakshow, the new […] More
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‘The Normal Heart’ hits all the right notes
When it comes to gripping and powerful films, HBO knows what they’re doing. Though they are TV movies, they actually feel like big Hollywood productions and often times, they are. Big name stars, expert directors, and brilliant screenplays are what comprise an HBO film these days and this is fortunate for the viewer because they are in for truly quality films. The extremely sobering The Normal Heart continues this trend of excellent filmmaking and the results are just divine. More
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