Matthew R. Reis: Film and TV Critic

In the criminal justice system... 3 stars Blog exclusive! New episodes of Law & Order: SVU premiere every Wednesday at 9pm on NBC I can't hold in my abnormal for SVU any longer. The series has survived the consistent departure of regular cast members and seems to always feature memorable guest appearances. I think the best new thing about Season 13 of the hit drama is actress Kelli Giddish's portrayal of transplanted Texas Detective Amanda Rollins. She has her fair share of problems (i.e. a dangerous gambling conviction) and has a lot of heart. What's missing from this season is the edge Christopher Meloni brought to the screen as Detective Stabler. The show needs more muscle, more fire and less glitz. Of second-most importance in terms of good new things to hit SVU is the hot, hot, hot romance budding between Detective Benson (Mariska Hartigay) and ADA Haden (Harry Connick Jr.). Connick is new to the show, but is a force of nature. However will the pressur...

Here's a review I wrote last year. I Hope you like it. (Now on DVD) 4 stars As featured in: The Ithacan The following review was previously “Lost”. Only excerpts have been found. Season six is here and it’s been a long time coming for “Lost” fans. Over a yearlong wait made many fans of the hit ABC drama antsy for new episodes. However “Lost” has now arrived and the series is bigger and better than ever. With a decidedly darker tone than previous seasons fans can expect a lot of heartbreak and heartache in the coming weeks. A handy one hour recap briskly went over five seasons worth of information regarding the characters, plots and settings “Lost” has encompassed over its history. Ripe with twists and turns that would make even the smartest people in the world scrambling to find spoilers this new season looks like it won’t disappoint. The terrific premiere episode titled “LAX” centers itself in two main locales the mysterious island and Los Angeles’ airport. Diehard fans and...

Arrest this movie 2 1/2 Stars Blog exclusive! For the most part “Cop Out” starring Bruce Willis (Die Hard) and Tracy Morgan (television’s 30 Rock) deserves a ticket. With a horrible script, insanely stupid stunts and a support(less) cast "Cop Out" instantly becomes the worst buddy cop film I’ve seen in awhile. Jimmy Monroe (Willis) is a divorced father of one. The only thing Jimmy and his wife have in common is the love for their daughter Ava (Michelle Trachtenberg). She is going to be married off and the dream wedding she wants cost nearly fifty grand. Getting the money is cause for concern and Monroe enlists the help of Paul (Morgan) his police partner to get the wedding bills paid. The only thing that doesn’t deserve to be locked up in "Cop Out” is Tracy Morgan’s acting. When Morgan isn’t making comments about Cate Blanchett’s fair skin in real life he is busy punching kids in the groin, just because he can. After all he is a cop. Why is Morgan so good? Well h...