There are many reasons a film might be hard to watch: unbelievable performances, sloppy writing, unskilled direction. Some movies offend with tasteless portrayals of strong sexual content or graphic violence.

Beautiful Boy doesn’t have any of these problems. The film is beautifully acted and well made. Its one sex scene is very thoughtfully done. Beautiful Boy is hard to watch because of the sheer intensity of the subject matter it covers.

Bill and Kate are emotionally distant and muted until they receive the worst news two parents could possibly get. Not only has their only son been killed in a campus shooting, but it turns out he was the shooter.

The couple must deal with their own loss while trying to weather the varied opinions of family, neighbors, and media. This also gives them more time than they wanted to examine how they feel about one another.

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Today is Thursday so that means new episodes of some of our favorite shows tonight on NBC. Naturally, when you think new episodes, you think of previews.

So do we. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Starting off we’ve got three Parks and Recreation sneak peeks. Ron Swanson faces the herculean task of replacing Tom while Leslie takes Model U.N. to a whole new level — with loads of Leslie/Ben tension of course.

Next up on The Office, Robert California is back and on his way to becoming a zit. Or rather, joining Andy, Kevin, and Darryl’s band. Plus, Pam gets suspicious as the new temp enters the picture.

Next on Whitney, she tries to get to know Alex on a deeper level by sharing some of his forgotten interests. Finally, on Prime Suspect, things get tough for the team when a young child is murdered at school.

Check out all the previews after the break. It all starts tonight at 8/7C with Community on NBC.

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It’s Thursday so that means NBC has pretty much all the shows we watch tonight. Of course, that means we’ve also got previews for all those shows for you to enjoy.

First up is one of our favorites, Community. In the episode the study group leaves the library and heads to Troy and Abed’s new pad. Of course, it won’t be that simple.

Next up on Parks and Recreation, it’s “Treat Yo Self “day for Tom and Donna while Ron and Leslie march their respective troops to the great outdoors. The Office also heads outside, but the Scranton crew is going to a very fancy garden party — at Schrute Farms. That won’t go well.

Next is Whitney where she and Alex want to bring back the romance. To to it, they really step it up. Finally, Prime Suspect rounds out the night as Jane searches for a murderer. But this week, she’s extra edgy as she tries a new technique to quit smoking.

Check out all the previews after the break. Everything starts tonight at 8/7C with Community.

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Coinciding with NBC’s remake of the BBC series starring the awesome Helen Mirren, Acorn Media is releasing the original Prime Suspect, Series 1 in an individual season set on August 23rd, with guest stars Ralph Fiennes and Tom Wilkinson. Starring Oscar winner Helen Mirren in her iconic, Emmy-winning television role, the original series aired on PBS to universal acclaim with more than 20 major international awards, including seven Emmys (“Outstanding Miniseries” and “Outstanding Actress”), eight BAFTAs, and a Peabody.

The new American version, starring Maria Bello, premieres on September 22, 2011 on NBC. We’re kinda looking forward to it. Although, it’s hard to believe anyone could walk in the shoiues of Ms. Mirren. However, we’re willing to give Bello a chance because, well, you know, she’s kinda hot.

Here’s all the scoop on the DVD release from the official press release:

Helen Mirren in PRIME SUSPECT, SERIES 1

On DVD August 23, 2011

The first series of the Emmy®-winning police drama is now available in an individual set;
Guest stars include Tom Wilkinson and Ralph Fiennes;
NBC remake premieres September 2011

“Superlative” —Entertainment Weekly “Powerful” —The New York Times
“A masterpiece” —USA Today “Riveting” —The Boston Globe
“Brilliant” —Los Angeles Times
“One of the great character creations of our time” —The Washington Post
“A perfect marriage of astoundingly talented actress and brilliantly conceived character” —USA Today
“Perhaps the greatest role and performance of a female police detective, ever” —San Francisco Chronicle

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Beautiful Boy has an undeniably appealing premise—what do the parents of school shooter go through? And it has two very good actors—Michael Sheen and Maria Bello—who fully commit to their roles. Sheen and Bello play Bill and Kate Carroll, the parents of Sam (Kyle Gallner), the freshman who goes on a shooting spree at his college before killing himself.

Director Shawn Ku begins almost in medias res, as it’s only a matter of minutes for the premise to be established before Bill and Kate, and by extension the audience, are confronted with a flurry of television cameras, media pundits, and frustrated parents looking for someone to blame. The couple’s first instinct is to shut themselves up in their house and ignore the rest of the world, but the media hounds are relentless, and the two retreat to the home of Kate’s brother Erik (Alan Tudyk), his wife (Moon Bloodgood), and their small child.

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Even though Fall may seem pretty far into the future, it will arrive in almost the blink of an eye. To help prepare you for the new Fall TV season, we’ve got some of what will no doubt be many previews of two new shows.

The first one up is Grimm. The stories are real, at least according to this promo. Well, if they’re not real, they still look pretty scary.

Next up is Maria Bello in Prime Suspect. In this promo we meet her character, Jane Timoney, who makes for an interesting dinner date. I don’t care if she is “interesting”, I would still hang out with Maria Bello for a bit. She’s nice to look at.

Grimm will air on Friday night at 9/8C and Prime Suspect will air on Thursday at 10/9C. Check out the previews after the break.

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The Company Men is a corporate drama by first time writer, producer, and director John Wells that first premiered at Sundance in 2010.  Starring Ben Affleck (The Town, Good Will Hunting), Tommy Lee Jones (Men in Black, No Country for Old Men), and Chris Cooper (American Beauty, Adaptation), this film obviously has a strong cast of seasoned actors that together couldn’t make a bad film if they tried.  With it’s high production value, timely script, and strong cast, the question isn’t whether this is bad film, but rather if it is as relatable or socially relevant as the filmmakers want it to be.

Personally, this film is just not my usual genre.  I understand that there definitely could be a sizable market for this film, but what some people might find to be a relevant story about the hardships of today’s economy, I find to be lacking in realism and slightly melodramatic.  It is one of those films where every few lines the audience is suppose to be nodding in agreement thinking, “Yes, I feel your pain.”  Don’t get me wrong, I completely understand the need for films to comment on the troubles of society, but this just seemed forced and exaggerated.

The film is about the effects of corporate downsizing, how it ultimately effects people the same way regardless of job title or salary, and what is really important to treasure in your life.  Affleck plays Bobby Walker, a white-colar corporate employee who gets laid off in the first round of downsizing at corporate giant GTX.

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Its that time of year. The time when networks announce their entire schedule for the Fall and Mid-Season. First out of the gate is NBC which is introducing 12 new series next season including six dramas and six comedies.

NBC has put six new series including the dramas including The Playboy Club, Prime Suspect and Grimm and comedies Up All Night, Free Agents and Whitney on the fall schedule and has slots reserved for Smash and The Firm in midseason. Drama Awake and comedies Are You There, Vodka? It’s Me, Chelsea, Bent and BFF have yet to be scheduled.

Of course, we’re glad to see some of our favorite shows returning next season including Community and Chuck. Oddly absent from the schedule at the moment is 30 Rock, which is apparently being postponed to make way for freshman comedy Whitney. Let’s hope it comes back soon.

Following is the full schedule, descriptions of the new shows and some preview video. This is a big one folks to read on.

*New programs in UPPER CASE; all times ET

MONDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Sing-Off”
10-11 p.m. – “THE PLAYBOY CLUB”

TUESDAY
8-10 p.m. – “The Biggest Loser”
10-11 p.m. – “Parenthood”

WEDNESDAY
8-8:30 p.m. – “UP ALL NIGHT”
8:30-9 p.m. – “FREE AGENTS”
9-10 p.m. — “Harry’s Law”
10-11 p.m. — “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”

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Some people may find that The Company Men hits a little too close to home. The movie follows a handful of employees at a large shipping company at the height of the recent economic downturn. It takes an unflinching look at what happens to their jobs, their marriages, their friends, and their honor. An excellent cast including Tommy Lee Jones, Kevin Costner, Ben Affleck, Maria Bello, Rosemarie DeWitt, and Chris Cooper make this film riveting and believable.

The film takes a unique approach by focusing on these men who, by most people’s standards, are fairly well off.  By humanizing their plight(s) without vilifying the men, we are able to relate to their universal struggles. After all, it doesn’t matter if you are rich or poor, losing a marriage or one’s dignity is going to hurt no matter what. That’s what I loved so much about the film. You want to hate the characters, but through the course of the film, you come to realize these guys are just like you and I.

Ben Affleck plays Bobby, a hotshot sales director with the company.  He’s got a giant house (mortgaged to the hilt), a hot wife, and a fancy car. He’s living the dream.  When corporate downsizing begins, his head is one of the first on the chopping block.  He’s shell shocked and embarrassed, but he is confident he’ll find another job in no time.

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A couple of weeks ago, I named The Company Men on my top 10 films of 2010 list. The movie tracks a handful of employees at a large company, and follows their stories through the economic downturn.

It’s an amazing film (full review will run tomorrow) that captures all the anguish, anger, and fear I have witnessed through my own friends and family experience. This movie absolutely nails it, and it can be difficult to watch at times, because it hits so close to home.

When I was given the opportunity to interview director John Wells, I jumped on it.  This film means a lot to me, and I couldn’t wait to talk to the man who wrote, directed, and produced it. Wells has an impressive filmography as a producer on a myriad of projects.

He served as executive producer during the entire run of television’s ER and The West Wing. He has also been President of the Writer’s Guild of America.  Although he has directed several television episodes, this is his first feature film.

Right before we started the interview, I told him how much the movie meant to me, and shared a few personal stories about friends and family members who have suffered since the recession.

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I was surprised at how much trouble I had narrowing down my top ten movies this year.  My top 20 were all very close, but here are the movies that I ultimately enjoyed the most. I readily admit that I did not see near as many foreign films as I would have liked, but by the time I cover most of the mainstream fare, there is simply no time left.

Honorable Mentions: Fair Game, Tiny Furniture, Greenberg, Cyrus, The Tillman Story, The American, Mother and Child, Scott Pilgrim.

10. Waiting for Superman
This Documentary was equal parts frustrating, inspirational, and heartbreaking. Director Davis Guggenheim (No End in Sight) sheds light on the dismal state of our public school system. He follows the plight of several children who live in various geographic regions who are placing all of their hope for an decent education into lottery systems for charter or private schools. Guggenheim relies on their compelling stories for a narrative, while interspersing lots of graphics and cartoons illuminating some pretty harrowing statistics.

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Grown Ups is anything but. You won’t find a shred of maturity here, but you will find the following in abundance: fart jokes, bunion jokes, breast-feeding jokes, Salma Hayek’s amazing rack (clothed, but still), physical pratfalls, teen aged girls in short-shorts, and five grown men acting like complete idiots. The laughs are cheap, but they are there for the taking.

I laughed at a lot of stuff I shouldn’t have, but I also laughed at Joe Dirt, if that is telling.  This is the same type of movie, and there is obviously a segment of the population who will seek it out this weekend.  This panders to the lowest common denominator of comedy appeal.

I think the filmmakers knew exactly what type of movie they wanted to make, and mission accomplished.  If you howl with laughter anytime a character farts in a movie, you are in for a real treat.

Five childhood friends who played on the same basketball team when they were younger are brought back together for their coach’s funeral. Adam Sandler is the successful one, with a hot headed trophy wife (Salma Hayek) and spoiled brat kids. Kevin James is the rotund family man married to Mario Bello, who still breast-feeds their four year old (hilarious!)

Chris Rock is an emasculated stay at home dad with a nagging mother-in-law and ungrateful wife (Maya Rudolph.) Rob Schneider is a new-age vegan married to a woman old enough to be his grandmother, and David Spade still fancies himself a ladies man (really?)

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