TV Insider

TV Insider is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer® when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Linda Maleh, Matt Roush, Roger Catlin
Rating Title/Year Author
The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart (2020) Matt Roush How deep is your love for the Bee Gees? It's bound to grow after watching Frank Marshall's illuminating movie biography, The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart. EDIT
Posted Dec 14, 2020
Belushi (2020) Matt Roush Who knew that the volcanic force of raw comic energy we knew as John Belushi could compose love letters that touch the heart? EDIT
Posted Nov 23, 2020
Coastal Elites (2020) Matt Roush With a stellar cast of four current Emmy nominees and a past winner, in performances shot in quarantine, these hysterical if uneven showcases have the impact of soul-baring catharsis. EDIT
Posted Sep 9, 2020
Host (2020) Matt Roush Host builds suspense in the style of the Paranormal Activity films, strictly limiting point-of-view through laptop screens as the danger signs escalate. EDIT
Posted Aug 4, 2020
Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (2020) Matt Roush Fans of Psych will get exactly what they're looking for in this loony and frantically gag-heavy caper. EDIT
Posted Jul 14, 2020
The Windermere Children (2020) Matt Roush Few children suffered more grievously than the young survivors of the Holocaust, and their reintroduction to a society of caring strangers is the subject of PBS' The Windermere Children, an overwhelmingly moving 90-minute movie based on a true story. EDIT
Posted Apr 6, 2020
Miss Fisher and the Crypt of Tears (2020) Matt Roush Her fans would expect nothing less, and this madcap escapade of cheerfully preposterous and absurdly colorful escapism will not disappoint. EDIT
Posted Mar 24, 2020
Deadwood: The Movie (2019) Matt Roush [David] Milch's gift for raw frontier poetry, with Shakespearean soliloquies filtered through X-rated doggerel, is as entertaining as ever in a violent yet appropriately elegiac (and oh-so-satisfying) two-hour farewell. EDIT
Posted Dec 10, 2019
The Little Mermaid Live! (2019) Matt Roush I hate to be a crab about it, but ABC's hybrid 30th-anniversary presentation of The Little Mermaid-part movie, part gussied-up concert-felt more sink than swim. EDIT
Posted Nov 6, 2019
Patsy & Loretta (2019) Matt Roush A brisk, sweet, touching and, naturally, tuneful tribute to female friendship is directed by Callie Khouri. EDIT
Posted Oct 23, 2019
El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie (2019) Matt Roush It also feels slight by comparison with the original, feeling more like a longer-than-usual episode than a true or necessary event. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Just don't expect more. EDIT
Posted Oct 11, 2019
Tig Notaro: Boyish Girl Interrupted (2015) Matt Roush With great deadpan timing, a coolly nonchalant attitude and a gift for making silly jokes feel smart, Notaro keeps her Boston audience enthralled. And ultimately moved. EDIT
Posted Aug 1, 2019
Knock Knock, It's Tig Notaro (2015) Matt Roush An ironist like Notaro may shrink at having her act called life-affirming, but the journey shown in Knock Knock truly is. EDIT
Posted Aug 1, 2019
Won't You Be My Neighbor? (2018) Matt Roush Won't You Be My Neighbor? humanizes this icon, so prone to parody, as he despairs of the wasted potential of TV to "make goodness attractive" - which he achieved with low-key dedication. EDIT
Posted Feb 7, 2019
The Story of Us (2019) Christina Gables If you love all things love, curl up on the couch with your special someone and enjoy Hallmark's Countdown to Valentine's Day. EDIT
Posted Feb 6, 2019
Rent Live (2019) Matt Roush The climactic introduction of Rent's original Broadway cast for a jubilant reprise of Seasons of Love added to the what-might-have-been vibe. EDIT
Posted Jan 28, 2019
United We Fan (2018) Matt Roush A fun, if bittersweet, look at the perks and perils of fan activism. EDIT
Posted Dec 5, 2018
My Dinner With Hervé (2018) Matt Roush This is based on writer/director Sacha Gervasi's own encounter with the actor shortly before his death in 1993, and his affection for the mercurial little diva poignantly shines through. EDIT
Posted Oct 22, 2018
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (2018) Matt Roush The emotions are real, even when the events are a bit sanitized. And when's the last time you saw a movie so besotted with the written word? EDIT
Posted Aug 8, 2018
Freaky Friday (2018) Matt Roush Disney Channel's peppy musical version of Disney favorite Freaky Friday may not erase memories of the popular 1976 and 2003 movies, but the clever score by Pulitzer Prize winners Tom Kitt and Brian Yorkey (Next to Normal) brings a fresh, fun energy. EDIT
Posted Aug 8, 2018
The Tale (2018) Matt Roush Dern's performance grows more anguished as she relives this sordid history and confronts the aged Bill (the late John Heard) in an explosive climax that's as cathartic for her as for the viewer. EDIT
Posted May 29, 2018
() Matt Roush Warm and intimate, with an unforced realism that keeps schmaltz to a minimum, the adaptation by Heidi Thomas echoes Jo's epiphany that rescues her from writer's block: "Our house is full of stories, lives unfolding, wings waiting to take flight." EDIT
Posted May 10, 2018
Tiny Shoulders, Rethinking Barbie (2018) Matt Roush The iconic Barbie doll has been revered and reviled for much of its nearly 60-year history, which is the fascinating subject of Andrea Nevins' marvelously spellbinding documentary. EDIT
Posted Apr 30, 2018
Jesus Christ Superstar Live in Concert (2018) Matt Roush Superstar is the most alive of any of these live events to date-because it felt like an authentic performance, with a rapturous audience roaring their appreciation during and after each spectacular number. EDIT
Posted Apr 2, 2018
A Christmas Story Live! (2017) Matt Roush The modest charms of this adaptation shone through only occasionally when bloated to three hours, making even this unapologetic show-tune enthusiast squirm at times, feeling like the kid brother who couldn't face yet another plate of meatloaf. EDIT
Posted Dec 18, 2017
Spielberg (2017) Matt Roush At nearly two-and-a-half hours, Spielberg is as epic in scope and lively in detail as the classic films he devoured and studied while dreaming of helming his own masterpieces. EDIT
Posted Oct 8, 2017
The Wizard of Lies (2017) Matt Roush This stark account of a family's downfall has the wrenching power of an Arthur Miller classic. EDIT
Posted May 19, 2017
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2017) Matt Roush Even if it sends you to the book to learn more, The Immortal Life will have done its job. EDIT
Posted Apr 26, 2017
Bright Lights: Starring Carrie Fisher and Debbie Reynolds (2016) Matt Roush These scrappy survivors are great company, for each other and for their admirers who will treasure this glimpse into their private and professional lives. EDIT
Posted Jan 9, 2017
Hairspray Live! (2016) Matt Roush Hairspray Live! was a snappy, happy, candy-colored and newly relevant delight. EDIT
Posted Dec 8, 2016
The Rocky Horror Picture Show: Let's Do the Time Warp Again (2016) Matt Roush The remake quickly begins to lose steam in a static frenzy of clumsy direction and confused editing. By the end, it's all a hot-though perhaps not hot enough-mess. EDIT
Posted Oct 20, 2016
O.J.: Made in America (2016) Matt Roush What Made in America exposes so memorably is the black community's need for any symbol, however imperfect, to score a win, however clouded, against a rigged system. EDIT
Posted Jun 10, 2016
All the Way (2016) Matt Roush For HBO's stirring docudrama All the Way, Cranston goes beyond a spot-on impersonation, aided by astonishing makeup effects, to channel President Lyndon B. Johnson's outsize personality and authority. EDIT
Posted May 23, 2016
() Matt Roush Master documentarian Ken Burns is back on very familiar ground in his glowing two-part biographical portrait of legendary athlete-turned-activist Jackie Robinson. EDIT
Posted Apr 11, 2016
Grease: Live! (2016) Matt Roush The Hollywood rain didn't dampen the spirits of Fox's rambunctious, slickly produced Grease Live!, a happily and knowingly cheesy explosion of lovably cornball bubblegum pop. EDIT
Posted Feb 1, 2016
The Wiz Live! (2015) Matt Roush A delight from the start, growing in confidence and showmanship... The Wiz is likely to endure as one of the most purely enjoyable flights of musical fancy ever produced for TV. EDIT
Posted Dec 4, 2015
Ferrell Takes The Field (2015) Matt Roush Ferrell Takes the Field, a Funny Or Die collaboration with MLB, turns out to be more than a stunt-though it's a quite impressive one. EDIT
Posted Sep 10, 2015
Sharknado 3: Oh Hell No! (2015) Matt Roush The only truly terrifying aspect of this creature feature is its relentless product placement, hawking a certain studio's theme park while showcasing the stars of Today. EDIT
Posted Jul 20, 2015