Don’t miss
- We’re here to help you through the least wonderful time of the year with our 2013 winter movie preview. Now you know what to avoid.
- Continue preparing for Community’s return with an actual clip from the première proving that it’s actually happening.
- Can an exploitation movie be a great movie? Two of our movie critics argued it out over Django Unchained and other recent films.
- The controversy around Zero Dark Thirty prompted us to also think about the challenges of depicting history on film.
- We captured some baby-faced future stars in our Inventory of 24 lesser-known comedy incubators…
- …And some horrifying dentists in 18 scary depictions of dentistry.
- Todd VanDerWerff tapped into his geek powers in Nerd Curious, with an exploration of how board games reveal the meaning of life. Yes of course Todd has geek powers.
- Salve the burn of 30 Rock’s impending finale by returning to its start—the original unaired pilot with Rachel Dratch as Jenna.
- Scenic Routes checked in with Moonrise Kingdom, where the art of the montage isn’t dead.
- Oliver Sava talked about some of the lowest points in Spider-Man history in this week’s Big Issues, before discussing Superior Spider-Man #1.
- Get started watching some of the TV shows we’ve resolved other people should watch in 2013. We can make New Year’s resolutions for strangers, right?
- Those shows don’t thrill you? Try returning to the 10 episodes of Hey Arnold! that best showcase the show’s charms. They’re all on Netflix streaming, so no excuses.
- Steve Heisler explained why heckling is always terrible, which is really not something that should need explaining.
- “I was always impressed by his ability to be smiling as he talked about heinous behavior by human beings.” Bill Pullman talks about working with David Lynch and his new show, 1600 Penn.
- Tupac Shakur tries to kick heroin in Gridlock’d, one of a few films by actors-turned-directors that we collected as alternatives to Dustin Hoffman’s Quartet.
- Marc Maron sat down with us to pick his favorite episodes of his WTF podcast.
- A Very Special episode looked at how NYPD Blue and Hill Street Blues hooked viewers with sex and violence. In our experience that usually works.
- In honor of Les Misérables, we collected our favorite musical sequences from musicals, including South Park: Bigger, Longer, And Uncut.
- The Gameological Society eulogized the Playstation 2 on the end of its production.
What are we arguing about this week
We all had some thoughts on this year’s Oscar nominees. Our announcement and analysis of the nominees has so far drawn 1,500 comments, leading us to believe that our readers agree that the Academy was a bit off-base this year. We responded with our own picks for various categories, but it turns out we’re not all in agreement on that either.
This weekend
Talk with us: We’ll be liveblogging the 70th Golden Globes Awards, featuring lovely hosts Amy Poehler and Tina Fey. You can join us right here to participate in the revelry and contribute your thoughts.
See: It’s never too late to return to our list of the best films of 2012, especially when this week brings a crop of C and D movies. Since you may be wondering, Gangster Squad ranked the lowest of the bunch, with Nathan Rabin calling it “an unusually violent fashion show.” That said, we didn’t much care for Quartet or A Haunted House either.
Read: Devote the time you don’t spend at the theaters to reading, specifically A Memory Of Light, the posthumous end to Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series. While Brian Sanderson may not have done quite as well as Jordan would have had he lived, it’s still a solid book. If that doesn’t appeal, go for something completely different with Ian D. Svenonius’ Supernatural Strategies For Making A Rock ’N’ Roll Group.
Listen to: British pop group Broadcast released its first album since its singer’s death, and it’s appropriately spooky. For slightly more straightforward tunes, check out Dropkick Murphys latest record.
Watch: TV still has very little going on right now—see Stars In Danger: The High Dive. But what it does have is two long-awaited returns. Justified returned to FX with a great episode featuring Patton Oswalt and drugs that fall from the sky. And, in news that’s slightly more likely to be overlooked, Cougar Town made it’s move to TBS. While it does have a new showrunner, the wine is still flowing freely and the first episode is still solid.
The A.V. Club helps you
It’s not too late to submit your relationship questions to our newest Valentine’s Day advice columnists, Nick Offerman and Megan Mullally. Let’s not pretend they can’t help you.