Paul F. Tompkins, Laboring Under Delusions

Paul F. Tompkins, LABORING UNDER DELUSIONS: LIVE IN BROOKLYN (aspecialthing records)
Inside flimsy, smudgy packaging (Boo!) lie tales of toiling in numerous jobs, from selling hats to stealing videotapes to acting for Paul Thomas Anderson. Tompkins is comedy’s reigning poet, his brilliant usage of vocabulary delivered with impeccable timing. Even his “Riff Suites” are better than most comedians’ written material.

Zero Dark Thirty

ZERO DARK THIRTY
Historical drama ideally requires time for facts and emotions to shake themselves out. LINCOLN? Sure, go ahead. This? Not nearly. Regardless of its critical pedigree, with so much necessary conjecture, this film undeniably exists primarily to offer the vicarious thrills of witnessing torture and Osama Bin Laden’s death. No thanks.

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Argo

ARGO
And then there’s historical drama that’s way more drama than history. Using the barest skeleton of “The Canadian Caper,” Ben Affleck crafts an engaging thriller that owes way more to the needs of a conventional Hollywood film than it does the facts. Surely more of a balance could’ve been struck.

The Walking Dead, Season 3

THE WALKING DEAD Season 3
Aside from the increased use of distracting CGI, I dislike how the characters in this stilted season have devolved into hardened warriors who treat everyone—dead or alive—like a threat. Rick’s an asshole, Michonne’s a bore, Andrea’s an idiot, Daryl’s barely there and Carl is an utterly impossible video game trope.

Homeland, Season 2

HOMELAND Season 2
While the terrorist suspense thriller did manage to keep the audience guessing in season two, I hated the romance angle, and think HOMELAND may have jumped the… you know… with its ludicrously unbelievable finale. Actually, a shark swimming in and eating everyone would’ve been more plausible. I fear season 3.

Why Does Batman Carry Shark Repellent?

WHY DOES BATMAN CARRY SHARK REPELLENT? AND OTHER AMAZING COMIC BOOK TRIVIA by Brian Cronin (Plume)
This collection of lists of comic book trivia is surprisingly, aggravatingly lacking in breadth. Dozens of ripe topics (Weird ads and tie-in products, comic Easter eggs) receive five or fewer examples, and too many others are simply subjective “best of” tallies. The result is unsatisfying for both fanboys and neophytes.

Dexter, Season 7

DEXTER Season 7
Sigh. My once-favorite show made so many wrong-headed turns in the last two seasons that it now seems irredeemable. Fumbling through three weak, semi-connected storylines this year, most of the principals (but primarily Deb) behaved so wildly out of character that DEXTER felt not just inferior, but practically unrecognizable.

Django Unchained

DJANGO UNCHAINED
Quentin Tarantino’s spaghetti slavery revenge buddy western suffers from a rather uncharismatic lead and a bloated, illogical third act. Those quibbles aside, DJANGO UNCHAINED is another rousing chunk of cinematic ebullience from the master of genre. Christoph Waltz is a joy to watch in every frame (Leo, not so much).