Welcome to the Author Archive for Daniel Carlson
- Nevermore to Roam: The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford
- Why Sitcom Finales Are So Hard to Pull Off
- Why Sitcoms Are Always About the Single Guy, Not the Married Couple
- 'Noah' Review: Requiem for a Dreamer
- Down the Rabbit Hole: Disney Movies, Conspiracy Theories, and Imaginary Puzzles
- 'True Detective' and the Perils of the Curiosity Gap
- 'The Grand Budapest Hotel' Review: Journey Into the Past
- 'Enlisted,' 'Parks and Recreation,' and Finding Comedy in Political Tragedy
- LOLdunit: Television Mysteries in the Age of Ironic Consumption
- 'Non-Stop' Review: Predictive Text
- It's Jimmy Fallon's World, and Thank God For It
- Tragedy Plus Time: 'Louie,' 'Maron,' and the Rise of the Honest Sitcom
- Movie-Movies: The Ultimate Genre
- 'The Monuments Men' Review: Forced Perspective
- Why I Stopped Binge-Watching TV
- Why Is TV So Popular on Netflix?
- Why Do People Argue About 'Girls' More Than Any Other TV Show?
- 'Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit' Review: Facelifting the War on Terror
- The 1001 Movies You'll Never See Before You Die (and That's OK)
- Your Favorite TV Show Needs to End
- Manufacturing Dissent: When Adult Viewers Act Like Children
- 'August: Osage County' Review: Plenty of Room to Swing a Rope
- 'The Secret Life of Walter Mitty' Review: To Strive, to Seek, to Find, and Not to Yield
- 'American Hustle' Review: Confidence Schemes
- 'Saving Mr. Banks' Review: A Shovelful of Sugar
- In Constant Sorrow All Through His Days: Heartbreak, Outsiders, and American Music
- Who's the More Foolish, the Fool, or the Fool Who Follows Him?: Or, Why the Internet is One Giant Hoax
- There's No Such Thing as Being Snubbed for an Award
- One Week at a Time: In Praise of Episodic Television
- Why Awards Season Is Bad for Movies
- 'Out of the Furnace' Review: Boiling Points
- Hidden in Plain Sight: Paul Walker and the Working Actor
- Absence Makes the Heart Do Something: The Beginning of the End of 'Parks and Recreation'
- No Home for the Holidays: The End of Thanksgiving TV
- Nobody Likes a Preachy Clown: The Perils of "Comedy for Conservatives"
- The 9 Saddest Moments from Kids' Movies
- The Real Problem With Remakes, Spinoffs, and Franchises
- 'Nebraska' Review: I've Been First and Last, Look at How the Time Goes Past
- What 'Elf' and 'Love Actually' Can Teach Us About Christmas Movies
- Why Blockbuster's Death Doesn't Matter
- Long Live the DVD: Why I'll Never Give Up Physical Media
- 'Dallas Buyers Club' Review: Pulling Punches
- Of Course You Liked That Trailer: Why All Movie Ads Are the Same
- The Bravery of Being Hated: In Praise of Complicated Characters
- 'The Counselor' Review: Your Movie's Bad, and You Should Feel Bad
- How Long Should You Stick With a New TV Show?
- The Illusion of 'Great Movie Years'
- '12 Years a Slave' Review: A Nightmare Remembered
- Chasing Movies That Slip Through the Cracks
- Adventures in Cord-Cutting: My First Two Weeks Without Cable
- 'Captain Phillips' Review: Adrift
- Bob Belcher, Hank Hill, and the Future of the Animated Sitcom
- No, the 'Breaking Bad' Finale Was Not a Dream Sequence
- 'Gravity' Review: In Space, No One Can Hear You Contemplate Your Mortality
- 'Breaking Bad' -- 'Felina': Did You Really Think I'd Do You Wrong?
- Watch Out for the Aztek: The Most Shocking Moments in 'Breaking Bad' History
- Is Walter White a Bad Guy?: A Conversation
- 'Don Jon' Review: Good Vibrations
- 'A Single Shot' Review: You'll Never Leave Harlan Alive
- 'Breaking Bad' -- 'Granite State': Last Call
- 'Breaking Bad' -- 'Ozymandias': ... And Despair
- 'Jayne Mansfield's Car' Review: Crash and Burn
- "Breaking Bad" -- "To'hajiilee": In the Wood of Ephraim
- "Breaking Bad" - "Rabid Dog": The Awakening of Jesse Pinkman
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Confessions": And Ye Shall Know the Truth
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Buried": If This, Then That
- Lovelace Review: American Horror Story
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Blood Money": Can't Find the Truth in a House of Lies, and You Can't See Tomorrow With Yesterday's Eyes
- Ode to Joy: Why Die Hard Is Still the Best Action Movie of the Modern Era
- The Way Way Back Review: Summer Reruns
- White House Down Review: "Die Hard 6: The Filbustering of Evil"
- World War Z Review: The Zombies Got Off Easy
- The Bling Ring Review: Costume Jewelry
- The Best Comedy Pilots of All Time
- Much Ado About Nothing Review: Shakespeare in Like
- Before Midnight Review: So Darlin', Save the Last Monologue for Me
- Why Binge-Watching the New "Arrested Development" Is a Bad Idea
- Side Effects Review: Comfortably Numb
- The Great Gatsby Review: Spectacle, Spectacle
- Oblivion Review: It's Got a Good Beat, and You Can Dance to It
- To the Wonder Review: Lord, I Believe; Help My Unbelief
- Trance Review: The Movie That Knew Too Little
- The Place Beyond the Pines Review: Less Than Meets the Eye
- 10 Things We're Looking Forward to Seeing in the "Veronica Mars" Movie
- A Good Day to Die Hard Review: I Wanted This to Be Professional, Efficient, Adult, Cooperative. Not a Lot to Ask.
- Stand Up Guys Review: Behold the Ravages of Age
- The Last Stand Review: Totally Expendable
- Zero Dark Thirty Review: Burn for Burn, Wound for Wound
- Gangster Squad Review: Shooting Blanks
- The Return of the Cheesiest Soundtrack Singles of All Time
- January Releases That Don't Suck
- Promised Land Review: Big Fracking Deal
- The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey Review: The Road Goes Ever On and On, and On, and On, and On
- End of Watch Review: Natural Police
- Killing Them Softly Review: When the Man Comes Around
- Lincoln Review: To Care for Him Who Shall Have Borne the Battle
- Cloud Atlas Review: Shapes in Vapor
- Taken 2 Review: Take Your Daughter to Work Day
- Fat Kid Rules the World Review: Don't Call It a Comeback, I Been Here for Years
- Looper Review: Don't Bet Your Future on One Roll of the Dice
- The Master Review: Mysterious Ways
- You Tell a Story Like a Broken Record: Aaron Sorkin's "Newsroom" Problem
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Gliding Over All": Many Deaths I'll Sing
- Lawless Review: Murder Ballads
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Say My Name": Don't Take Your Guns to Town
- Premium Rush Review: Flat Tires
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Buyout": Cash on the Barrelhead
- Celeste and Jesse Forever Review: When Harry Left Sally
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Dead Freight": The Great Train Robbery
- The Bourne Legacy Review: Identity Crisis
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Fifty-One": Scenes From a Marriage
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Hazard Pay": You Gotta Show Some Flex
- 9 Huge Plot Holes in The Dark Knight Rises That Totally Don't Work
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Madrigal": Sleeping With the Enemy
- The Dark Knight Rises Review: The Hero We Need
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Live Free or Die": We're Just Livin' This Way 'Cause We've Known No Other
- The Amazing Spider-Man Review: Don't Have the Courage Inside Me to Tell You "Please Let Me Be"
- Magic Mike Review: Demolition Woman, Can I Be Your Man?
- Moonrise Kingdom Review: You Remind Me of a Poem I Can't Remember, and a Song That May Never Have Existed
- Our Cinematic Autobiography: Away We Go
- The Best Drama Pilots of All Time
- Prometheus Review: Titan's Fall
- Safety Not Guaranteed Review: Had We But World Enough, and Time
- Men in Black 3 Review: It's Been a Tough Willenium
- Way Down in the Hole: 6 Great Dramas That Owe a Debt to "The Wire"
- How Live-Tweeting TV Shows Ruins Everything
- Get the Gringo Review: And You May Ask Yourself, Well, How Did I Get Here?
- John Dies at the End Review: I Guess You Had to Be There
- Somebody Up There Likes Me Review: No, They Really Don't
- The Psychology of Letting Go: What It Means to Love and Lose
- John Carter Review: Get Your Ass to Barsoom
- Star Wars: Episode I -- The Phantom Menace 3D Review: Greed Can Be a Very Powerful Ally
- "Cougar Town" Season Three Preview Event: I Won't Back Down
- The Grey Review: Stalked in the Forest, Too Close to Hide
- Haywire Review: Middleweight
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Review: Skin Deep
- Young Adult Review: We Don't Have to Change at All
- Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy Review: I, Spy
- The Descendants Review: We'll All Float On
- J. Edgar Review: Life in a Vacuum
- A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas Review: The Gift That Keeps on Taking
- Anonymous Review: What's in a Name?
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Face Off": A Wall of Fire About Me, I've Nothing Now to Fear
- The Ides of March Review: What Do We Do Now?
- Dream House Review: Tear It Down
- "Breaking Bad" -- "End Times": The Hard Part About Playing Chicken Is Knowing When to Flinch
- Machine Gun Preacher Review: Your Own Personal Rambo
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Crawl Space": You're Proud That You're a Self-Made Man
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Salud": Never Go Against a Chilean When Death Is On the Line
- Drive Review: I'm Going Where the Road Won't Dare
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Bug": Breaking Up Is Hard to Do
- Contagion Review: Like the Black Plague, But Without All the Laughs
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Hermanos": Every Man Has to Die
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Problem Dog": This Is the Business We've Chosen
- Our Idiot Brother Review: Sixty Percent of the Time, It Works Every Time
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Cornered": Living on Muscle, Guts, and Luck
- Fright Night Review: That'll Do
- "True Blood" -- "Spellbound": "I Have a Hunger in the Very Center of Me"
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Shotgun": Everybody Needs a Hobby
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Bullet Points": Nothing Left to Chance, All Is Working
- The Change-Up Review: It's a Nightmare, and Then There's Boners In It Somehow
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Open House": The Past Is Always With Us
- Cowboys & Aliens Review | It's All the Same, Only the Names Will Change
- Reading by the Light of the Screen: Thoughts on Adaptations
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Thirty-Eight Snub": We Have Met the Enemy and He Is Us
- "Breaking Bad" -- "Box Cutter": Whoever Is Unjust, Let Him Be Unjust Still
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 Review | I Have Finished the Race, I Have Kept the Faith
- Horrible Bosses Review | I Am Jack's Smirking Revenge
- Beginners Review | "... To Make Life Important"
- Playing the Long Game | Thoughts on How We Watch TV
- The Tree of Life Review | I Believe in the Hope That Can Save Me
- Everything Must Go Review | I Guess It's 'Cause You Run With Lame Dudes Too Much
- Fast Five Review | All Revved Up With No Place to Go
- Changes of Heart: Reexamining Art You Used to Hate (or Love)
- Your Highness Review: I'm Too Old for This Sh*t
- The Other F Word Review: All the Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues
- Red Riding Hood Review: There, Wolf. There, Boredom.
- The Adjustment Bureau Review: Free Will Hunting
- Cedar Rapids Review: It's Hard to be a Saint in the City
- Unknown Review: That Is the Sound of a Thousand Terrible Things Headed This Way
- Dimension Blech | Why 3-D Needs to Go Away
- The Green Hornet Review | You'll Believe a Man Can ... Do Stuff
- Rabbit Hole Review | There's No Good Why This Came to Pass, There's Only Just Because
- True Grit Review | You Give Out Very Little Sugar With Your Pronouncements
- Black Swan Review | Tired and Feathered
- The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader Review | Oh Me of Little Faith
- Fair Game Review | Are You Telling Me That This Sucker Is Nucular?
- Tangled Review | Cut It Out
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Review | Everybody Knows It Hurts to Grow Up
- Let Me In Review | Drained
- The Town Review | Close Baby Close
- Machete Review | Mexican't
- The American Review | I'm Just a Stranger
- The Switch Review | The One Where No One's Ready
- Scott Pilgrim vs. the World Review | Portrait of the Avatar as a Young Man
- The Disappearance of Alice Creed Review | Pulp Fraction
- The Kids Are All Right Review | Let's Get Together Before We Get Much Older
- Inception Review | You Can't Resist Her, She's in Your Bones
- TV Series You (Maybe) Didn't Know Were Remakes
- Toy Story 3 Review | Played Out
- The A-Team Review | It Pleases Me When a Scheme Starts to Gel
- Get Him to the Greek Review
- Lost: The End Recap | Everyone's Waiting
- MacGruber Review | I Didn't Know You Were Looking for More Than I Could Ever Be
- Lost: What They Died For Recap | Chosen
- Lost: Across the Sea Recap | The Telling
- Lost: The Candidate Recap | Live Together, Die Alone
- Ten Movies That Take Place in One Day
- Lost: The Last Recruit Recap
- The Joneses Review | Insert Your Own Overused "Once in a Lifetime" Lyrics
- Kick-Ass Review | It Should've Been Somebody Else
- Lost: Everybody Loves Hugo Recap
- Lost: Happily Ever After Recap | Objects in Space
- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Review
- Lost: The Package Recap | Work Related
- Lost: Ab Aeterno Recap | Port in a Storm
- Lost: Recon Recap
- Lost: Dr. Linus Recap
- Inglourious Basterds Review
- The Hurt Locker Review
- Up Review
- Lost: Sundown Recap
- Lost: Lighthouse Recap
- Lost: The Substitute Recap
- Lost: What Kate Does Recap
- Lost: LA X Parts 1 and 2 Recap
- Lost Season 6 Recap Preview
- The Lovely Bones Review
- Youth in Revolt Review
- The Ten Best Comedies of the Aughts
- It's Complicated Review
- Brothers Review
- Fantastic Mr. Fox Review
- The Box Review
- Amelia Review
- The Boys Are Back Review
- The Invention of Lying Review
- Pandorum Review
- The Informant! Review
- 9 Review
- Taking Woodstock Review
- Cold Souls Review
- Funny People Review
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Review
- Fight Club Review
- Bruno Review
- Arlington Road Review
- Public Enemies Review
- Office Space Review
- Year One Review
- Away We Go Review
- The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien Review
- Movies That Wouldn't Work on Broadway
- The Matrix Review
- Terminator Salvation Review
- Lost: The Incident Part 2 Recap
- Lost: The Incident Part 1 Recap
- Lost: Follow the Leader Recap
- Star Trek Review
- Coming to America Review
- Lost: The Variable Recap
- Lost: Some Like It Hoth Recap
- State of Play Review
- The Empire Strikes Back Review
- Lost: Dead Is Dead Recap
- Observe and Report Review
- Lost: Whatever Happened, Happened Recap
- Adventureland Review
- Lost: He's Our You Recap
- 12 Rounds Review
- Seven Review