Reel Change’s Top 5 Posts of 2013

On this last day of 2013, here is a quick look back at my top posts of the year, listed in order of popularity. If you like these, don’t forget to check out my work at other publications, such as The Atlantic and Movie Mezzanine. Thank you for reading this year and for making Reel Change a…

“The Newsroom”: A Beautiful Missed Opportunity

This might have been the last episode ever of The Newsroom (reports are murky on whether it is being picked up for a third season), and if so, it’s a solid ending that surprised me with how much I was affected by it. “Election Night: Part II” took the elements of the show I’ve always…

“The Newsroom” – Season 2, Episode 7

I came away from this week’s excellent episode of The Newsroom with one overriding message: journalism is a tough racket. For weeks, the News Night team has been tracking down evidence in support of the Operation Genoa story. They found the retired general and the two soldiers who participated in the attack. They stumbled upon…

“The Newsroom” – Season 2, Episode 5

Despite my complaints, of which there are have been many, I just can’t quit The Newsroom. But it’s for episodes like this one that I’m glad I stick around. The simply titled “News Night with Will McAvoy” was easily the best episode of this second season, a self-contained masterpiece that juggled what seemed like dozens…

This is Not the “Newsroom” We Need Right Now

I’m not breaking any news when I say that there are a lot of folks who don’t like The Newsroom. Their criticism, however, comes from many places. Some are frustrated that the show seems to be just a vehicle for Sorkin to voice his liberal politics. Others have have pointed to its inaccuracies (“Embedded reporters…

“The Newsroom” – Season 2, Episode 3

Although Alison Pill was barely in this episode, I feel compelled to begin this review with her, largely because of the vitriol I directed at her character last week. I am currently breathing a sigh of relief. It only took them thirteen episodes, but the writers of The Newsroom finally figured out how to use…

“The Newsroom” – Season 2, Episode 2

It’s time that I accept that The Newsroom is never going to be what I want it to be, i.e. The West Wing. I want to see these characters do their job well, struggle with ethical issues, and lean on each other for support. I don’t want to see them quibble over issues in their…