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Marisa LaScalaReviews
The Goods: Live Hard, Sell HardTo plaster over the lack of funny ideas, gags, or dialogue, the characters just resort to using profanity over and over. [14 January 2010] 
Staten IslandLike its characters, Staten Island seems to be striving to reach something greater, but never quite reaches it. [7 January 2010] 
The Monster Squad: 20th Anniversary Edition (Blu-ray)The juggling act of comedy, horror, and children mostly works because Dekker was able to find a group of kids to carry the film who, while not quite Abbott and Costello, are neither cutesy nor campy. [25 November 2009] 
V: Series PremiereAny familiarity with the original V miniseries would mean that none of last week's premiere plot turns would be a surprise. [10 November 2009] 
FlashForward: Series PremiereWhile the time travel in Lost remains inexplicable to this day, FlashForward was right away hard at work to ground any fantastic elements in reasonable phenomena. [1 October 2009] So You Think You Can Dance: Season Six PremiereThe push and pull between the dancers and the choreographers distinguishes So You Think You Can Dance. [9 September 2009] 
The State: The Complete SeriesPart of the appeal is seeing all of these Comedy Central staples at the start of their careers, looking like they were just hired out of their college sketch troupe. [14 July 2009] Sit Down, Shut UpThe characters are boorish and egomaniacal. The comedy is crude. And the cast is terrific. [19 April 2009] Harper’s Island: Series PremiereEven without a killer traipsing around, the party guests on Harper's Island would be in trouble. [9 April 2009] 
The Princess Bride: Blu-RayReiner and Goldman manage to marry timeless storytelling elements with modern comedic sensibilities in such a way that it will never feel corny, old-fashioned, or dated. [1 April 2009] 
Andy Richter Controls the Universe: The Complete SeriesWith all its humor, quirkiness, and social awkwardness, this show can slide in right next to News Radio and The Office on the shelf and hold its own. [25 March 2009] Kings: Series PremiereWhat's most striking about Kings is its ambition -- its wide-ranging creation of a world to surround its class-divided characters. [15 March 2009] 
House: 100th EpisodeDr. Miller's decision to choose selfish fulfillment over the greater good somehow instigates small epiphanies for the rest of House's team. [2 February 2009] 
The Simpsons: Treehouse of Horror XIXThe way The Simpsons not only apes, but also twists familiar cultural touchstones shows reveals again that it's still smarter than all other parodists. [31 October 2008] My Own Worst Enemy: Series PremiereAt first you might think My Own Worst Enemy will explore the dueling natures in every man's heart. But the conflict plays more like sibling rivalry. [13 October 2008] 
90210: Series PremiereThis year's 90210 reboot comes with a Frankenstein-esque patchwork of a pedigree. [4 September 2008] 
PersepolisThis story reaches across barriers in language and experience to viewers who have never suffered exile. [8 July 2008] 
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion BacksJokes about the difference between "tentacles" and "gentacles" are in. And, with that, Futurama returns to form. [24 June 2008] 
Aqua Teen Hunger Force: Vol. 5Well, at least it doesn't take much sense to be funny. [18 March 2008] quarterlifeA show where friends sleep around on each other, only to have truths revealed about their lives through a blog? It's basically Gossip Girl, only without the awareness that it's a total fantasy. [26 February 2008] 
Right at Your DoorWho is the one that's really trapped in this situation? Is Lexi locked out of the house, or is Brad locked in it? The Celebrity ApprenticeSo far, no celebrity under Trump's caustic scrutiny has managed to remind the über-businessman that he or she has done just fine so far without his input. [17 January 2008] 
Upright Citizens Brigade: Season OneUpright Citizens Brigade claimed to be about a quartet of extra-government individuals seeking to create chaos in ordinary situations. In reality, it was a series of loosely associated sketches with outlandish but hilarious premises. [10 October 2007] 
Pushing DaisiesPushing Daisies features super-saturated colors and bright, bold patterns, a perfect antidote to the dark and grainy moodiness that permeates most primetime dramas. [4 October 2007] 
CavemenFor a show that's supposedly about the plight of minorities in America, Cavemen showed a shocking lack of diversity. It's basically Friends with more body hair. [3 October 2007] 
Kid NationAt the outset, it looked like there was no hope for a kid hamlet, let alone a nation. [26 September 2007] 
Gossip GirlThe blogger called Gossip Girl reports on the sex, lies, and YouTube videos of the smart set at an Upper East Side private school. [19 September 2007] 
Three Hundred300's penchant for drama and exaggeration is proof that a far-reaching vision and hyperbole can come together to tell a much better story than one based purely on historical facts. [13 August 2007] 
Human GiantHuman Giant rejuvenates sketch comedy with edgy, spontaneous humor, challenging the buttoned-up, not-quite-real-improv comedies on network television. [3 May 2007] 
Acceptable TVIn the wake of Internet monsters like YouTube and MySpace, VH1's Acceptable TV has come up with a trendy gimmick: it's interactive. [5 April 2007] 
Penn & Teller - Bullshit!: The Complete Fourth SeasonEven if you agree with what Penn and Teller are advocating, their methods are often so unfair that they undermine their ostensible arguments. Andy Barker, PIThe only thing that stitches together the mishmash of genres, tones, and styles is Barker, and he does this by being ignorant of how he's supposed to act in all of them. [21 March 2007] 
NewsRadio - The Complete Fifth SeasonThere must be some kind of NewsRadio curse that keeps its actors from ever turning in a comedic performance better than the ones on this show. 
Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist: Season TwoThe show comes across as "talky", with actors delivering their lines in a hilariously low-key, expressionless cadence. [3 January 2007] 
Kids in the Hall - Complete Season 5The general, surreal nature of most Kids in the Hall work keeps the show feeling fresh and edgy more than a decade after the episodes originally aired. [21 December 2006] 
Lost: Season Three PremiereSquabbles over book clubs, burned muffins, and broken plumbing are not what one would expect from the marauding band of brutes who have captured and brutalized some of the island's most cuddly inhabitants. [11 October 2006] 
Stella: Season OneStella -- not a sketch comedy, not a sitcom, and certainly not the Marx Brothers -- forges a brand of television comedy all its own. [3 October 2006] 
HeroesWhen his friend suggested he was deluding himself, Hiro said, "I want to be special." Subtlety is not going to be a strong suit in the series. [2 October 2006] 
Laguna Beach: The Complete Second SeasonCracks never form in the sun-drenched, attractive suburban universe that MTV creates out of Laguna Beach. [5 September 2006] 
MetalocalypseAs Spinal Tap's David St. Hubbins says, 'It's such a fine line between the stupid and the clever.' Metalocalypse, unfortunately, waffles between the two. [16 August 2006] 
30 Days - Season 1A mix of entertaining personal stories and informational segments that address larger issues, this is reminiscent of the better moments of Michael Moore's The Awful Truth -- only with a more charismatic host. [28 July 2006] 
Mission Hill: The Complete SeriesThe 1999 WB show remains firmly grounded in the emotional realities of Kevin's attempt to survive high school despite his nerdish tendencies, and Andy's constant struggle between his aspirations and his apathy. [12 July 2006]
Mission Hill: The Complete SeriesThe 1999 WB show remains firmly grounded in the emotional realities of Kevin's attempt to survive high school despite his nerdish tendencies, and Andy's constant struggle between his aspirations and his apathy. [28 November 2005] BlogsMixed Media: The Best Singles of 2009: Bishop Allen - “Oklahoma” [7 December 2009] |
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