"Orange Is the New Black" has been booked for a season 3, according to social media posts from key players on the Netflix show. The women-in-prison series returns June 6 for its second season, following up on a critically acclaimed debut season. The renewal -- coming before the second season -- can be seen as a strong but to-be-expected vote of … [Read more...]
A trio of Halloween treats from Criterion
When it comes to classy horror, everything looks better in black in white. See "Dr. Caligari." "Psycho." "Vampyr." "Night of the Living Dead." "Invasion of the Body Snatchers." ... And "Eyes Without a Face." Georges Franju, director of that French horror classic, once was asked why he preferred his chills in black and white. He pointed to … [Read more...]
Fritz Lang’s ‘Ministry of Fear’
Funny thing about the wrong man: He never, ever did it. This lack of mystery never held back the thriller subgenre, in large part because of Alfred Hitchcock's fondness for tales of the unjustly accused on the run. The German director Fritz Lang also worked cases of mistaken identity, notably in "Fury" (1936) and "Ministry of Fear" … [Read more...]
‘Ripper Street’: Victorian evil at large
The shadow of wicked olde Jack hangs heavy over "Ripper Street." Is this a specter, or a warning of the Ripper's return? The creators of this terrific BBC One series wisely keep Jack the Ripper sidelined, at least in the first season, which just wrapped season 1 on BBC America. Good move. We didn't need another Ripper procedural. Think of it … [Read more...]
‘Crime Story’ retold on DVD set
Michael Mann's gritty, compelling and sometimes ridiculous "Crime Story" was the producer-director's 1986 follow-up to "Miami Vice." Set in pre-Miranda 1963, the NBC show followed Lt. Mike Torello (Dennis Farina) as he led a major-crimes unit specializing in making the Windy City too hot for hip gangster Ray Luca (Anthony Denison). In season 2, … [Read more...]
