Mike Hughes

Stories

“The Movies”: A joyride through the post-auteur era

As the 1980s began, movie moguls were still in their ’60s/’70s haze.
Perplexed by the new generation, they’d written big checks to “auteurs” — directors who looked and sounded hip and artful. Then “Heaven’s Gate” happened.
“It was a shot through the heart of the auteur era,” journalist Chris Connelly says in the opener of “The Movies,” CNN’s blitz-paced series.
“Heaven’s Gate” cost $44 million and made $3.5 million in North America. Its director (Michael Cimino, fresh from the Oscar-winning “Deer Hunter”), would go five years before his next movie … its studio (United Artists) would collapse … and Hollywood would regress. That was in 1980, a convenient starting point for this opener. It eyes the ’80s, the post-auteur era. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 2, 2019
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Best-bets for July 4: A night of music and spectacle

1) A Capitol Fourth,” 8 p.m., PBS, rerunning at 10. Here’s the annual, feel-good blend of music and fireworks. It’s strong on Broadway – Carole King with the cast of “Beautiful,” Vanessa Williams, Laura Olnes. But it also has gospel (Yolanda Adams), country (Lee Brice), R&B (The O’Jays) and lots of pop: Colbie Caillat is part of the Gone West band; there are also winners of “American Idol” (Laine Hardy) and “The Voice” (Maelyn Jarmon), plus an “America’s Got Talent” runner-up (Angelica Hale). Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 2, 2019
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Best-bets for July 3: Flow with the Mississippi

1) “Rivers of Life,” 8 p.m., PBS. You rarely see anyone try to climb up a waterfall. But a guy actually does that in the Rockies, when the water freezes. That’s one of many views we get of the sprawling tributaries of the Mississippi. They reach 31 states (including the Yellowstone spot shown here); they form a basin that produces 92 per cent of U.S. food exports, this film (great visuals, so-so narration) says. The Mississippi hauls the equivalent of 49 million truckloads of freight each year. This hour goes from the frozen North to a million-acre Southern swamp. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / July 1, 2019
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Best-bets for July 2: On a slow night, reruns rule

1) “NCIS,” 9 p.m., CBS. So a guy wakes up with no idea what happened – or why there’s a dead body next to him. Versions of that story have been on “X-Files” and “Law & Order” and even on a previous “NCIS” episode; now here’s a slight variation: Torres (Wilmer Valderrama, shown here) wakes up on a blood-splattered fishing boat, with no memory of the past 12 hours. It’s a rerun, as “NCIS” (which had a rare pre-emption last week) moves into its summer spot at 9. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 30, 2019
Stories

A time for joy: Lear’s comedy is rescued

For the TV world, this was one of the year’s biggest news flashes:
The Pop network is rescuing “One Day at a Time.” It will have 13 new episodes next year.
OK, not everyone will consider it huge. Chances are, many people weren’t aware there is a Pop network or a “One Day” reboot. But ponder this from several standpoints
:– TV history. Norman Lear is the producer who sparked TV’s first golden age of comedy. Now he’s had a one-two shot – last month, ABC’s live show using “All in the Family” and “Jeffersons” scripts … and now this. In his statement, Lear said he was “heartbroken” when Netflix decided against a fourth season, and is now “overwhelmed with joy.” Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 28, 2019
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Best-bets for June 30: Crowe rings loud and clear

1) “The Loudest Voice” debut, 10 p.m., Showtime. We start at Roger Ailes’ low point: Fired by NBC Cable, he’s begging for leniency in a no-compete clause. Soon, he starts Fox News … and flounders. He even calls a 4 a.m. meeting, filling the room with loud rage. Not to worry: Ailes (who died in 2017, at 77) understood this new era: Instead of trying to please everyone, he was carving a specific audience. Russell Crowe (shown here, at right) plays the role beautifully, mixing venom and volume with surprising bits of subtlety. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 28, 2019
Stories

Gone solo? No, Colbie has Gone West

Colbie Caillat seems to have this pop-star thing backward
.People are supposed to start in groups. Then – full of success or full of themselves – they go solo.
But after a decade solo, Caillat has now become one-fourth of Gone West.“It’s fun,” she said. “Now I’m out there with my best friends.”
Last October was their Grand Ole Opry debut; coming is the July 4 mega-concert in Washington, D.C. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 28, 2019
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Best-bets for June 29: Generations collide in “Son” finale

1) “The Son” series-finale, 9 p.m., AMC, rerunning at 10:05. A two-season run ends with fierce jolts. At the core are three generations (shown here). Eli attacked the Garcias and stole their land; Pete rescue Rose Garcia (whom he loves) and is ready to testify against his dad in court. But last week, his daughter Jeanne told the plan to Eli. Now we see the aftershocks. We also flash back to Eli’s youth, as he leaves the Comanche — and forward to Jeanne as the ranch’s elderly owner. Read more…

By Mike Hughes / June 27, 2019