'Veronica Mars': A Primer for Noobs

I want Veronica Mars to be a success, so here is my attempt to get butts in the seats. While it's true that the movie is mostly for fans of the television series, I sincerely believe that it can be enjoyable for everyone. You've got a great, noir-esque feel, a simple and engaging mystery, and a leading lady with all the right moves. Also most of the movie is pretty accessible from a non-fan perspective, and the first third is devoted to getting everyone caught up. Still, there are a few things that just don't make sense if you haven't seen the show. Below is a catch-up tool to make sure that nobody enters the theater without the proper knowledge. Dropping knowledge in 3...2...1...

TV Review: Let's Talk New Shows

It’s that time of year again. Stockings are being hung by the chimney with care, Menorahs are being attractively displayed in windows, and I begin the holiday tradition known as the Network Television Holiday Break. Every year, shows abandon me, sometimes for over a month, and I, in turn, evaluate the new programs I have started watching and decide – who will I stay with in 2012?

Amy, Trying Too Hard

Enlightened (HBO)

Awkward, depressing, lonely. Enlightened is obviously one of the best new shows on TV this year. The show, created by Mike White and Laura Dern (and starring Dern), is about Amy Jellicoe, an ‘enlightened,’ self-centered anti-hero. After an emotional breakdown and Hawaiian therapy, Amy returns to her old company with a fresh outlook on life, only to realize that making her way in her new job is rife with conflict (mostly self-imposed, though that becomes tricky as the show goes on). The performances are top-notch. Dern and Diane