New Releases for the week of October 19 - 25
Life After Beth
Teenaged Zach (DeHaan) is bereaved at the unexpected death of his girlfriend Beth (Plaza). When he discovers that she has miraculously come back to life, Zach is over the moon and vows to take full advantage of this second chance. He's excited to finally live out all the experiences he regrets missing out on with Beth before, but it soon becomes apparent that the girlfriend he lost is not the same person who's back from the dead. The sweet girl he used to know now has violent tendencies and an uncanny taste for human flesh.
Director: Jeff Baena. Stars: Aubrey Plaza, Dane DeHaan, Molly Shannon, Cheryl Hines, Paul Reiser, Matthew Gray Gubler, John C. Reilly, Anna Kendrick, Alia Shawkat. 2014. 89 min. Comedy.
Sex Tape
Jay (Segel) and Annie (Diaz) enjoyed a passionate love life when they first got together 10 years ago, but time, two kids and familiarity have smothered a lot of that fire. To bring the kick back into their love life, they decide to film a video of them performing every position in the book "The Joy of Sex" in one long session. They’re initially happy with the results, until they discover that the video has synced up to a number of iPads they gave out as gifts. They’re horrified to learn that, suddenly, their very private activities are far from being private.
Director: Jake Kasdan. Stars: Cameron Diaz, Jason Segel, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper, Rob Lowe, Nat Faxon, Nancy Lenehan, Giselle Eisenberg. 2014. 94 min. Comedy.
The Purge: Anarchy
The Purge is a means of population control where one night a year, all crime is sanctioned for a period of 12 hours, during which all hospitals and emergency services are suspended. Liz (Sanchez) and Shane (Gilford) are driving home to get to their kids before the Purge commences, when their car runs out of gas. Faced with a band of attackers on motorcycles, the couple flee on foot. Meanwhile, Leo (Grillo) takes to the streets seeking vengeance when he encounters a mother and daughter on the run after assailants tried to destroy their home.
Director: James DeMonaco. Stars: Kiele Sanchez, Frank Grillo, Zach Gilford, Carmen Ejogo, Nicholas Gonzalez, Michael K. Williams, Justina Machado, John Beasley, Jack Conley. 2014. 103 min. Horror.
Food for thought: Chef Blais uncovers the science behind the food
Chef Richard Blais hosts “Hungry Games”
Hungry? How often do we stop and think about our food? No, not give a passing thought to the ingredients that went into making it or the fantastic skill it was prepared with. I mean really think about it on a deeper level: why do we react to food the way we do?
Late Laughs for the week of October 19 - 25, 2014
The Late Show: David Letterman
It's the first day of fall. The leaves are falling and so is the confidence in Roger Goodell.
This guy gets all the way to the front porch of the White House. So they beefed it up. The security people added to the front door one of the sliding chain things.
Help without hassle: Season 4 of 'Web Therapy' kicks off on Showtime
Lisa Kudrow stars in “Web Therapy”
Opening up and expressing your deepest and darkest insecurities to anyone, let alone a stranger, can be an excruciating challenge that some refuse to take. Those who do seek professional help generally end up sitting down with a psychologist for hours on end, expressing how they feel and why.
Dealing with demons: Comic book renaissance continues on NBC
Matt Ryan stars in “Constantine”
Dealing with demons: There once was a time, not so long ago, when comic books were widely seen as the purview of teenaged boys and their adult counterparts who, perhaps, still lived in their mothers' basements.
The Simpsons, on Fox
In what has become an annual TV tradition, the Simpson family presents a spook-tacular Halloween episode. Bart and Lisa find themselves in an alternate universe filled with demons. Also, the show pays homage to "The Others" and "A Clockwork Orange."
Recaps for the week of October 13 - 17
Kathleen Gati as seen in “General Hospital”
The Bold and the Beautiful
Ridge makes his arguments to Eric as to why he should be CEO of Forrester Creations over Rick, then Eric shares his vision of how he believes the company should be run and why. At the same time, Rick fancies himself and Caroline as a next generation Eric and Stephanie as he envisions taking over the family business. Meanwhile, Caroline refuses to risk her marriage by continuing to work on the collection when Ridge urges her not to deny her feelings for him and not to settle for Rick. Wyatt sets Quinn straight about the new order of his priorities in his life when she shows up unannounced and begs to be a part of his family’s world. Quinn pleads with Hope to allow her to be a part of her grandchild’s life, but when Hope makes it clear she is unwanted, Quinn turns to Deacon to help change his daughter’s mind. Meanwhile, Liam asks Ivy out, and the two share a candlelight dinner and toast the beginning of their romantic journey together. After struggling with a guilty conscience and being confronted about her odd behavior, Caroline confesses to Ivy that she shared a kiss with Ridge.
Days of Our Lives
Stefano makes a cryptic request of Kristen, while Brady can’t help but bond with her. After Eric confronts Daniel about his connection with Kristen, Eric surprises her with an admission. Meanwhile, Ciara freaks out when she learns the status of her mother’s love life. Julie is shocked when she hears of Hope’s new relationship, while Aiden is irritated by Maggie’s probes into his life before Salem. As Kate plots with Chad to destroy Stefano and EJ, a wrench is thrown into her plan that could spell disaster for herself and for Sami. Meanwhile, Sami gets the answers she has been seeking, but they are nothing like what she expected. Later, Kate has a serious warning for Sami that shakes her to the core. Eve flirts with Eric, while Theresa asks Brady if they can start over. Abigail suffers deep emotional turmoil, while Jordan catches Chad in a vulnerable moment. JJ doesn't react the way Paige expects when she tells him she’s ready to make love.
General Hospital
Patrick, Sam and Tracy are completely caught off guard. Elizabeth makes a shocking discovery regarding the mysterious John Doe patient. Meanwhile, Britt and Nikolas come to an important decision about their relationship. The treacherous Dr. Obrecht is faced with a hostile reunion, while Tracy risks it all. After he confronts Nina, Silas hears some interesting information from Franco. Nathan gets wise to Nina’s ways. Later, Nina turns to an unlikely source for help after she threatens to reveal what Rosalie has been hiding. At the same time, Morgan calls for medical help when Ava suffers horrible pregnancy pains. Franco makes an offer to Michael and then continues to set the wheels in motion on his master plan. Meanwhile, Sonny steps up his scheme against Franco.
The Young and the Restless
Victor calls Nick after getting the results of Faith’s paternity test, but it goes to voicemail. Nick discusses with Avery his concerns about Sharon losing all of the progress she has made. When Victor returns to an empty house and pours himself a drink, he notices the bottle of vodka has been moved and isn't exactly full. Mariah shows up and confronts Victor about Sharon’s secret. Abby tells Victoria that everything would be different if Delia hadn't been killed, but Victoria says her marital problems with Billy began long before Delia's death. When Stitch arrives and tells Victoria he’s getting a lawyer to protect his rights in case he is the father of her baby, she pulls him into a kiss. Later, Victoria and Billy read an essay Delia wrote, and they get emotional as they remember her on the anniversary of her death.
Transporter: The Series, on TNT
Chris Vance stars as Frank Martin, a highly trained operative who transports people or precious cargo to anywhere in the world. Based on the hit movies of the same name, the action-packed series is filmed in exotic locales around the world.
Q: I have been wondering since it first aired why "The Christmas Tree" starring Julie Harris has never come out on DVD. It is one of my favorite Christmas movies of all time. It is shown during the holidays on the INSP channel.
There's no easy answer to this one, except to just say that made-for-TV movies rarely get DVD releases.
As you say, there are cable channels that air them, indeed they often depend on such films to fill their schedules (more cheaply than original programming or series reruns) -- these seem to be the future that producers envision for their telefilms.
So, the only comfort I can offer is to say that you're not alone.
Shark Tank, on ABC
Entrepreneurs have just moments to pitch their ideas and impress investors in the hopes of getting a deal. The self-made moguls know what it takes to make it in today’s market and must decide if they want to invest their own money in new businesses.
