Posts by Tara Ariano
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Video on Demand Report: Despicable Me 2 Makes Ex-Supervillains Charming, Gwyneth Paltrow Makes Sex Addiction Goopy
The Headliner Despicable Me 2 In Despicable Me, Gru (voice of Steve Carell) was moved to give up his supervillainy after succumbing to the charms of the three adorable orphan girls he adopted. But just because Gru has given up crime doesn’t mean he has given up scheming and intrigue. Despicable Me 2 finds Gru […]
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My Argument in Favour of CanCon Funding: Orphan Black
Now more than ever, pop culture is about the small stuff — an obscure TV show, a few notes in a pop song, a tweet. To celebrate a year of micro moments, every day a new Grantland writer will highlight one specific thing — a Big Little Thing — that we won’t soon forget. CanCon […]
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Freak Show & Tell: Happy Holidays From Monsters Inside Me!
Every week, television documentaries present us with so many unusual people, so many strange and/or disturbing problems, you might find it hard to keep up with all of them. That’s where I come in! Here’s an unflinching look back at TV’s Week in Freak Shows. Monsters Inside Me (Animal Planet) Who Is This Now? Tara […]
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Video on Demand Report: The Wolverine Is Not Just a Rerelease of X-Men Origins: Wolverine
The Headliner The Wolverine Please, for the love of god, I know it’s confusing, but don’t think this is a rerelease of 2009’s X-Men Origins: Wolverine. (Boy, that was an optimistic prefix, huh? Remember when we were all on tenterhooks waiting for the follow-up, X-Men Origins: Storm?) So the first thing you need to know […]
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Video on Demand Report: Which Fast & Furious Is This Again? (Does It Matter?)
The Headliner Fast & Furious 6 More so even than other action franchises — and trust me, I have watched a bunch — the individual installments of the Fast & Furious franchise really run together. When the on demand/DVD ads for it started running last week, I had to ask my husband whether we’d actually […]
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Freak Show & Tell: Best. Funeral. Ever.
Every week, television documentaries present us with so many unusual people, with so many strange and/or disturbing problems, you might find it hard to keep up with all of them. That’s where I come in! Here’s an unflinching look back at TV’s Week in Freak Shows. Best Funeral Ever (TLC) Who Is This Now? Johnnie […]
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Video on Demand Report: Give Kelso’s Jobs a Chance!
The Headliner Jobs When the same story is being developed into two different movies, there are pros to being first out of the gate. For instance, if the audience has only limited interest in the story, they might see yours just to get it out of the way and then skip the second; your movie […]
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Freak Show & Tell: Lasagna in a Dishwasher? Lasagna in a Dishwasher.
Extreme Cheapskates (TLC) Who Is This Now? Stephanie. Why Are We Watching Her? She is astonishingly frugal. How Did She Get Here? We never find out what made her so cheap in the first place, but based on the delight she takes in depriving her boyfriend Patrick of life’s simple pleasures (e.g., using more than […]
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Freak Show & Tell: Do Your Nudist Homework, Potential Homeowners!
Extreme Cheapskates (TLC) Who Is This Now? Jordan. Why Are We Watching Her? She’s walking us through some of the extraordinary measures she takes to save money. How Did She Get Here? During the financial crisis, Jordan and her husband lost out on the house they thought they’d live in for the rest of their […]
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Video on Demand Report: Completist Alert! The World’s End Is Here!
The Headliner The World’s End When it comes to the “Cornetto Trilogy” — the three films written by Edgar Wright and Simon Pegg, directed by Wright, and starring Pegg, Nick Frost, and a repertory company made up of some of the leading stars of contemporary British comedy — reasonable people can disagree about whether Shaun […]
