Reviews (3)

Freddy transcends from movies to TV
I never knew that Freddy Krueger had a TV series, until I found an episode in the store. As an avid Freddy fan (though Michael Myers is still my #1 fav!) I gave it a chance, and wow! Though not as intense as the movies (which is to be expected from 1980's TV), Robert Englund still manages to deliver his creepy, yet riotous, performance as Freddy Krueger. Many people say he became less scary as the movies went on, but I say his twisted ripoffs of one-liners makes him even better. James Bond pulls a similar stunt in all of his movies, so let's give Freddy a break and stop complaining about the movies. Robert Englund deserves a standing ovation for playing the same character for almost 20 years! In this particular episode, when a TV talk show host does an investigation into dreams that kill, Freddy attempts to stop the show, or else he won't have anyone to play with anymore! But the show goes forward, and Freddy puts the talk show host in the hospital. There's a truly great Freddy moment when he performs surgery on his patient, ripping off even more great oneliners. This is Freddy at his best! Although not as good as the movies, the TV series is still worth checking out, especially if you love Freddy! You are all his children now!

Freddy Fever!
I kind of thought the NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET the series was cheesy, but as a fan of Freddy, I still liked these episodes.

Okay episode of the Elm Street tv show Freddy's Nightmares
Dreams That Kill is the story of talk show host Charlie Michaels, who is plagued by Freddy during sleep. After he is accidentally electricuted on the set of his show and lapses into a coma, a young man who was in a motorcycle accident is injected with Charlie's brain cells by an overzealous doctor, to replace damaged ones. Only the doctor took them from the dream center of Charlie's mind. . . ... Read more

Description

Collection of TV series stories, all set in the dreams and nightmares of Elm Street. The show is hosted by Freddy Krueger himself. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Freddy's "Trick and Treats" Review!
I actually remember this being one of my favorite episodes of the series back in its original run. Please note that this series is really intended for the die-hard Nightmare fans.

Marsha is a grad student, who despite having a fun-loving boyfriend would rather spend Halloween night, studying in the Springwood morgue. She is still haunted by memories of her psychotically-overbearing grandmother. Freddy uses her guilt over her grandmother's death to haunt her. Enter an arrogant dream supervisor who is using her to study the affects of her nightmares.

While Freddy usually only shows up to host most of these episodes, this one was one of a select few episodes to actually feature him as a central character. If you didn't like the movies, you probably won't like this show but if you're a fan, you will want to add this to your collection and quick.

the worst episode
this movie was so stupid it really never showed freddy. had nothing to do with the series. i was so bored watching this movie because for these reasons... stupid, not funny, not a good plot, bad acting. I recomend you DO NOT BUY THIS MOVIE its a waste of money.

Freddy's Tricks And Treats
One of the standout episodes in the lackluster T.V. series of the late 1980's. This episode features Mariska Hargitay of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" in one of her early roles as a med student who decides to spend Halloween in a morgue studying for an exam. This particular episode is not as cheesy as most of the others and the second half of it has an intrigueing subplot involving the recording of dreams for medical purposes. Worth checking out. Co-stars Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger . It is directed by Ken Wiederhorn.

Good episode of the TV series Freddy's Nightmares.
Jayne Mansfield's daughter, Mariska Hargitay, stars as Marsha in this bizarre Halloween episode from the first season, "Freddy's Tricks and Treats". On Halloween Night, Marsha would rather cram for finals with cadavers than party and pull pranks with the living. But staying awake isn't always easy. . .soon she dreams of her overbearing grandmother and the town's resident dream-psychopath. The second half of this episode deals with a college kid that uses Marsha as a ginea pig as he experiments in recording dreams. Welcome to her nightmare. . . A little confusing, but enjoyable Elm Street humor prevails. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

The Best Of Freddy and the Comedy Chills!
Ok after seeing No More Mr.Nice Guy I heard there were 4 more avalible.Hey I bought 1 lets buy another!Buy this you aren't about to waste your time and money!

1st Half:Freddy Krueger is channeled by a girl meaning to bring
a man back from the Titanic!Wow!Freddy loves his new body.He is
bragging!...It was Freddy!Fav. Quote:Your a real head turner babe!

2cd Half:Freddy Krueger goes to school!He is after some punks!
Of course,He would [end the life of] his girlfriend QUOTE:SAVE THE LAST DANCE
FOR ME!or the dweeb which helps him do his job.HOWARD NEHAMPKIN!
Really good actor.QUOTE:FREDDY WASNT SO BAD ONCE U GOT TO KNOW HIM!

Big inprovment!:More Freddy then NO MORE MR.NICE GUY!

It's My Party
Get past the tenth rate acting and cheap production values and you have a not too bad (not even decent either) entry to the all too cheesy, piece of crap TV series. The first half of this episode truly sucks as it spoofs "The Exorcist", but the second half isn't bad. The second half deals with Freddy's graduating class coming back to Springwood for their high school reunion and just finding out that the kid that wore that dirty red and green sweater all the time is not only dead, but a vicious child molester and murderer. One of his peers, a Hollywood horror film screenwriter, decides to exploit Freddy's story for the screen (it would make an excellent movie right?). For the Nightmare completist. Anyone looking for quality, look away.

Perfect for any Freddy fan!
If you like Freddy because of his way with words and his talent for FX-laden deaths, this tape is defintely for you. No pesky plot or realistic dialouge gets in the way of the gore! Robert Englund looks like he had fun with this one! For people who enjoyed Nightmare 2, or Freddy's Dead.

Good episode of Elm Street series Freddy's Nightmares
"It's my Party" is from the second season of the tv show Freddy's Nightmares. A phony psychic channeler gets more than she bargains for when she invites a spirit to take over her body-- and Freddy accepts the invitation. The second half of the episode centers on a woman waiting to go to her class reunion and dreaming of the man she played a prank on in high school-- you know who. A plot twist leads to a script being written for A Nightmare on Elm Street. Good tongue-in-cheek Freddy humor at its' peak. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

pretty good
i used to be a big fan of the tv series. and this episode isnt really your typical freddy slasher. its just like the dude from kosivo said take this episode for what it is. now keep in mind that the episodes took place in the late 80s real early 90s. tv shows wernt exactly how it is now. but over and all this is a pretty good episode even though i dont remember seeing this on tv a while ago. but if your a big nightmare fan such as myself and a big fan of late 80s and early 90s tv shows i recamend that you buy all the freddys nightmare episodes that are on sale right now

Not bad, for a low-budget series.
Like 1960's Batman, this series is campy. Don't look for unpredictable plots, state-of-the-art effects, or a mildly good scare. Take the series for what it is. A low-budget extension of the films. I didn't become a Freddy fan to be scared, I enjoyed his humor. Just take each episode with a grain of salt, willingly suspend your disbelief, and do your best to enjoy this series. Nearly every Freddy appearance is comedic and a treat. This episode is no exception.

Lucky Stiff
Of all the terrible episodes of this lousy TV series I've seen, this is the worst! There is no reason to see this cliched "scheming wife killing her husband to run away with another lover only to discover that her husband was buried with a winning lottery ticket" piece of garbage! Only for the "Nightmare On Elm Street" completists. This video features Mary Crosby of "Dallas" and David Lander of "Laverne and Shirley" as the couple. It was directed (?) without passion, suspense or anything else film makers put into their work by William Malone. It co-stars Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. If you want an episode of Freddy's Nightmares check out any other one but this!

This is one of the more dumb episodes of the tv series.
Lucky stiff is an episode of Freddy's Nightmares taken from the second season of the series. It deals with a woman whose husband won the lotto-- but she only learns of it after his death. The ticket is missing and presumed to be in the jacket she buried him in. One of the duller eps of the show, Freddy is not a central character in the story, as he is in the other 4 videotapes that were released. ... Read more

Description

Collection of TV series stories, all set in the dreams and nightmares of Elm Street. The show is hosted by Freddy Krueger himself. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Freddy's Origin?Funny way of putting it!
I was shocked because this is the first episode I have seen it was scary but when Freddy becomes it cracks me up!I bought this movie off the internet and was excited when it got here.It starts off Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund,ANOES SERIES) gets off free from a trial because when he was arrested but he was never read rights.The parents of ELM STREET ARE MAD and well U know the rest.It is gory.Shows Freddy getting burned,Claw marks on a guy,and Freddy killing a guy at the dentist by pulling his teeth out.You will laugh at the jokes that TOBE HOOPER put in this episode fans as we present the first episode "Freddys Nightmares:NO MORE MR. NICE GUY!" Enjoy

Treat for Nightmare Fans
I got this for Christmas from my friend and had to watch it that very night. You can definitely tell that it is from the 80's. Ok, the story doesn't quite follow the movies, but how many different conflicting things have the fans seen by now? I really enjoyed this telling of the story to show how Fred became the dream killer we all grew to love in the "Nightmare on Elm Street" movies. I will say that the acting definitely is not award winning, although I think Robert Englund(Freddy Krueger) does a great job as usual. The story is good enough if you are a fan you will most likely really get a kick out of it. Now let's keep our fingers crossed that Robert Englund can get the Freddy Prequel movie up and rolling in another year or two.
Keep the faith.

The old "Freddy's Nightmares" series pilot
When I came across this some time ago, it took me down memory lane. I remember when this was a series on FOX-25 back in the day. This was actually the pilot episode, directed by Texas Chanisaw Massacre director Tobe Hooper.

This series actually went more for the horror than the comedy we were used to from the Nightmare movies. I always liked the feel of the series because it had a very eerie feel to it. While I never caught this episode in its days on television, I looked forward to seeing it.

"No More Mr. Nice Guy" shows the supposed origin of Freddy Krueger. He is a child murderer, found not guilty, due to the police forgetting to read him his rights. He eventually returns to terrorize the children in their sleep. This episode contradicts a lot of what has been explained about Krueger in the film series but is still worth adding to your collection if you are a die-hard Nightmare On Elm Street fan.

Terrible
This is the first episode of the series and I really expected a lot more. The story given contradicts the plot of the original Nightmare on Elm Street movie. The actor who portrays the lead cop is a horrible actor. I realize this is a tv series from the 80's and did not have the same budget as the movie, but I was grossly disappointed by this tape. Especially in the scene where they show Freddy's murder by the town's people and when he kills the guard. Even if you are a fan of the movie series, this tape will disappoint you. This movie is to be avoided.

The Best Of The TV Show Series
Out of all the series this is the best episode. You get to see freddy before he was burned and you watch neighbors panic to hide their children from the serial killer. This cop has a daugter and when freddy goes to attack her, he arrests him withougt reading him his rights. this even shows his trial. And after that the parents all get [angry] and well...you know the rest. This is a great pre-sequel to the first Elm Street Movie. I would suggest watching this first then watching Elm Street 1. You will get the feel for the movie and you will even like it better then you have before. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Well....
While he was filming another movie in Toronto, we went out and bought this horrible movie so we could get him to sign it. You know what he wrote? "I Hate this Movie. Greg Kinnear"

A Smile Like Yours
I just fell in love with this movie the first time I seen it. I love Greg Kinnear and Lauren Holly in it.

Predictable but entertaining
First off let me take my hat off to the producers becasue Lauren Holly and Jill Henessy were lookin' too fine in this picture. Particularly Jill Henessy was just off da hook! That was almost enough just to see her. When she came into that restaurant in that red dress... Smokin'.

Ok. So the movie was pretty light. There are still some pretty entertaining scenes. When they go to the fertility clinic and Greg Kinnear's efforts to get back to San Francisco from Seattle were both pretty funny.

For a really funny look at 'trying' to get pregnant I recommend She's Having a Baby with Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. Hillarious!

You won't laugh, you won't cry...
but if you're lucky, you'll fall asleep during this plotless wonder of a movie. It is the WORST! It's so bad you can't even laugh at how awful it is! It just stinks! Who allowed this movie to be made? It's a wonder Greg Kinnear ever got another job after he was in this sickening mess of a movie! I can't believe I spent $7 to see this in the theater. Yechhhhh.

This is a horrible, horrible movie.
I made the mistake of seeing this movie in the theater tried hard to get my money's worth. It was impossible. The dialog was so contrived and mindless. There was not a laugh to be had and the chemistry between Kinnear and Holly was nonexistent. ... Read more

Amazon.com

The edgy, intense Homicide: Life on the Street earned its reputation as the best show on TV from the very beginning. In the pilot episode, "Gone for Goode," rookie detective Tim Bayliss (Kyle Secor) walks into the squad room of Baltimore's elite and smack into his first case, the murder of 11-year-old girl Adina Watson, a crime that will haunt Bayliss throughout the series. Oscar-winning director and series executive producer Barry Levinson helms this episode himself, establishing the nervous, energetic camera work, the bickering camaraderie of the homicide squad, and the meticulous attention to police detail that defined the series. He won an Emmy for his efforts. The third season episode "Every Mother's Son" guest stars Sean Nelson (Fresh) as a cold juvenile killer who couldn't care less that he murdered an innocent boy, while the mothers of victim and killer unknowingly meet in the station waiting room. The final episode in the set, "A Doll's Eye" from the fourth season, is a quiet, introspective look at the parents of a boy left brain-dead by a stray bullet who are dealing with their grief while under pressure to make a decision that could save another child through the organ donor program. Mandy Patinkin make an uncredited cameo as his Chicago Hope doctor. This set lacks the coherent thread that pulled the episodes together on a weekly basis, but it displays the series' range like a candy sampler, and the uniformly excellent episodes are worth seeing under any circumstance. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (16)

DVD?
Simply put, Homicide was a flawless series. The cast, scripts, cinematography...it all just came together. I think it was cancelled because of poor scheduling choices, and because it was so intense. That said, there is a huge number of diehard fans out there...so when is somebody going to wake up and start releasing the episodes (all of them!) on dvd as is done for The Twilight Zone? Court TV is a start, but I want the whole series at my fingertips...I think the series, and we, the fans, deserve it.

The crash-course on Homicide: Life on the Street
Typically if I want to get a friend's reaction to my favorite drama ever, I'll have them sit down and watch these three episodes with me. They represent some of the finest acting and cinematography I've seen in quite some time.

1) The Pilot: "Gone for Goode" - It's Tim Bayliss' (Kyle Secor) first day on the Homicide Unit commanded by Al Giardello (Yaphet Kotto) and the introduction to the cast of characters begins: John Munch (Richard Belzer), the cynical jaded but dedicated cop partnered with the "close to retirement" Stan Bolander (Ned Beatty), Meldrick Lewis (Clark Johnson) is partnered with Steve Crosetti (Jon Polito) and Kay Howard (Melissa Leo) is partnered with Beau Felton (Daniel Baldwin). The wildcard in the unit is Frank Pembleton, the unit's best detective who likes to work alone. Lewis and Crosetti investigate a shooting that might lead to solving 5 more murders (and making them look like heros), Munch is coerced into opening up an accidental death that Bolander thinks was a murder. And Bayliss gets paired up with Pembleton during a murder of an older guy in a hotel and learns firsthand that what he's taught in the classroom doesn't hold up in the real world.

Some famous lines:
Bolander: "She was murdered John, you have to speak for her"
--
Howard: "Homicide? We work for God"
--
Munch: "I've been murder police for ten years. If you're going to lie to me, you lie to me with respect."
--
Crosetti: "That's the problem with this job. It's got nothin' to do with life."

2) "Every Mother's Son" - Bayliss and Pembleton investigate the murder of a 14 year old boy at a bowling alley to find out another 14 year old boy shot him. The shooter thinks he should go because he killed the wrong guy. The mother's killer and the mother of the victim unknowingly meet up and talk for a long period of time in the squad room. Pembleton gets disillusioned about ever having children if they grow up in a world like this.

3) "A Doll's Eye" - Bayliss and Pembleton get involved in a shooting of a boy at a mall. The boy ends up brain dead and the parents struggle with taking the boy off of life support and placing his organs in the organ donor registry to save other children's lives. Marcia Gay Hayden's portrayal of the little boy's mom will have you in tears. It's a quiet episode that focuses on the victims and the struggles that they have to face.

Nothing Else Like It On TV Or The Big Screen!
Anyone that has ever seen this top quality crime drama would agree that there has never been anything else like HOMICIDE on television or the big screen!

This show, in reruns, is as powerful, moving, thought provoking, and at times humorous, as it was during its first run on NBC during the 90's.

EVERY...and I do mean EVERY character leaps off the page with realism and charisma, thanks in part to those who put pen to paper and wrote the lines, and also to the amazing actor who breathed life into the well written scripts.

The early shows are by far the best! And that you will see on this video. Pembelton and Balis, Andre Braugher and Kyle Secor, were televisions definitive dynamic duo. I believe that they, and the other cast members, set a standard for ensemble casts that will never be beat. (A few of the cast members that joined the show towards the end of its run were not as powerful as the original actors, but that didn't stop the show from delivering quality episodes.)

Others have suggested NBC release all of the episodes on DVD and I agree! This was truly MUST SEE TV and for what ever reason the network couldn't see it. (This show is timeless and I would love to see it resurrected, perhaps on cable TV! Are you listening HBO?)

HOMICIDE - Life On The Street is without a doubt is the best television show to date! Kudos to all responsible for bridging it to life, to Court TV for airing it in reruns, and to Amazon.com for bring the series to its fan via VHS and DVD!

Great TV, Great Location
I moved to Baltimore by about Homicide's 3rd season. I had seen a few episodes and was annoyed by the jittery camera work. After living in Baltimore for a few months, and after being forced to watch a few episodes, I was entranced by both the show and the city. Homicide transcends the typical "place-less" show (TV or cinema--is Frasier really a Seattle show? I think not) because it weaves people, events, and emotions in a solid geography. I believe people were--and are still--hooked on this show because it has so much personality and charisma. Baltimore is a town with history, charm, quirks, character, meloncholy, cynicism, evil, joy, and warmth. Homicide captured that and slowly spoon fed it to viewers episode by episode. I don't think most viewers were aware of it, but it happened and it was addictive. To me, the drama, joy, and pain of Homicide is the drama, joy, and pain of the City of Baltimore and its citizens. Only one question remains: where are the Homicide DVDs??

The Best of the Best
After HILL STREET BLUES and ST ELSEWARE I thought network TV had lost it, the came HOMICIDE:LIFE ON THE STREET. It is the best of the best, my only regret is that ther aren't more of the episodes available. Someone tell NBC that they are missing out on a gold mine. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Well....
While he was filming another movie in Toronto, we went out and bought this horrible movie so we could get him to sign it. You know what he wrote? "I Hate this Movie. Greg Kinnear"

A Smile Like Yours
I just fell in love with this movie the first time I seen it. I love Greg Kinnear and Lauren Holly in it.

Predictable but entertaining
First off let me take my hat off to the producers becasue Lauren Holly and Jill Henessy were lookin' too fine in this picture. Particularly Jill Henessy was just off da hook! That was almost enough just to see her. When she came into that restaurant in that red dress... Smokin'.

Ok. So the movie was pretty light. There are still some pretty entertaining scenes. When they go to the fertility clinic and Greg Kinnear's efforts to get back to San Francisco from Seattle were both pretty funny.

For a really funny look at 'trying' to get pregnant I recommend She's Having a Baby with Kevin Bacon and Elizabeth McGovern. Hillarious!

You won't laugh, you won't cry...
but if you're lucky, you'll fall asleep during this plotless wonder of a movie. It is the WORST! It's so bad you can't even laugh at how awful it is! It just stinks! Who allowed this movie to be made? It's a wonder Greg Kinnear ever got another job after he was in this sickening mess of a movie! I can't believe I spent $7 to see this in the theater. Yechhhhh.

This is a horrible, horrible movie.
I made the mistake of seeing this movie in the theater tried hard to get my money's worth. It was impossible. The dialog was so contrived and mindless. There was not a laugh to be had and the chemistry between Kinnear and Holly was nonexistent. ... Read more

Amazon.com

"The Subway" became the most celebrated episode of the sixth season of Homicide: Life on the Street. A showcase for Andre Braugher's Frank Pembleton, the squad's tetchy, intense, brilliant detective, it takes place almost entirely in the subway and focuses on the relationship between Pembleton and the dying victim of a gruesome subway platform accident (guest star Vincent D'Onofrio), who's not expected to live out the hour. It garnered lavish praise from TV critics across the U.S., earned two Emmy nominations (including one for D'Onofrio), and won the prestigious Peabody Award for excellence in broadcasting. Little did documentary director Theodore Bogosian know what was in store when he began his made-for-public TV special Anatomy of a Homicide, a detailed look at the creation of the episode from idea through script and production to broadcast. You get it all: script conferences, location scouting, special-effects challenges (how do you portray a man convincingly trapped by a tram and twisted like taffy?), the clip from the HBO series Taxicab Confessions that inspired the story, and a privileged look at network politics. It's an inspired pairing for the video debut of the series, a fine introduction for new viewers, and the equivalent of a coffee-table video album for the faithful. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Television drama at its very best!
If you're reading this, chances are you're already a fan of Homicide to some degree. Some early fans of the show became disenchanted with the program as its run on NBC progressed, feeling that it became more conventional. While it's true that the show's later seasons used less of the stirring camera-work which was the show's visual trademark in the early episode, the stories told were no less compelling.

A case in point is season six's "The Accident" or as it's commonly known "the subway episode." When a commuter becomes pinned between a subway train and the platform, detectives Tim Bayliss and Frank Pembleton are called in, because the accident victim is alsmost certainly going to die. As Bayliss tries to determine what caused the accident, Pembleton (as played by Emmy-winner Andre Braugher) forms an uneasy bond with the victim (played by Vincent D'Onofrio). With Homicide, the focus was always less on what the detectives revealed about their cases and more on what the detectives revealed about themselves as human beings.

Of all Homicide's detectives none showed us more of what was good and bad about human beings than Frank Pembleton. In the context of the show, Pembleton was not only the best investigator in the squad, he was also the moral center, a good man whose sense of right and wrong never fails, soemone who will always remain on the right side of that line even if it means offending those who care about him. As he tries to comfort the victim whom he knows is about to die, Pembleton confronts his own beliefs and notions of faith and goodness. The interplay between the two characters is as insightful, gripping and well-written as anything committed to film in years, and more than anything this is probably the episode which earned Andre Braugher his Emmy award.

This episode also went on to win the Peabody award and was the subject of a fascinating documentary called "Anatomy of a Homicide." In addition to focusing on the specifics of writing and producing "the subway episode," it is also an intriguing window into the politics of television network programming. That documentary is available on this tape along with the full episode. Homicide never quite got its due during its network run, but the availability of these two productions may help redress that balance.

A phenomenal study in human behavour
This episode alone is the best HOMICIDE I've ever seen. Barring the undeniably brilliant perfomances by Vincent D'Onofrio and Andre Braugher, the story is captivating and the tensions sweet torture! The difficulty of knowing a man is going to die and the struggle to do his job as a cop and so much more... What an episode! That aside, as I said, the documentary is a real view of the politics of network television and the complete bliss of getting what you want. They had a great guest star, a script that worked, and a producer/writer determined to get what he wanted! Just great, a MUST for HOMICIDE or D'Onofrio fans!

Stunning Work!
This is extraordinary acting - vincent D'Onofrio, Andre Braugher (always fabulous in this series) and the other great "Homicide" cast - but this story is amazing. Seemed almost more like a stage production than film/television. I saw the story as a metaphor - life, death, the meaning, the randomness versus design of it all, responsibility/lack thereof, the train....all of it. Extremely powerful in every way. Original, powerful, brilliant work.

An episode worthy of inclusion in anyone's video library!
"Homicide: Life on the Streets" was always a favorite of the critics, but it never garnered the ratings success that it so fittingly deserved. Featuring one of the most gifted ensemble casts ever put together (especially the brilliant Andre Braugher with exemplary support from Yaphet Kotto, Kyle Secor and Clark Johnson), "Homicide" should still be on NBC's schedule, right there with the respective "Law & Order's" and "ER".

If one episode clearly exemplifies the intensity and the quality of the series' writing, as well as the skills of the actors, it is "Subway". Braugher gets to run the gamut of his emotions as he deals with the hopeless situation of guest star Vincent D'onofrio, also giving an award winning turn as the trapped commuter.

The episode is a nail-biter and a prime example of what television should be.

Most compelling dramatic anything I've ever seen
I have never had such a visceral reaction to any piece of drama, live or on big screen or small.

I'd long been a Homicide fan, so I was well aware of Andre Braugher's skill, but Vincent D'Onofrio's performance was a revelation. His character is Everyschmuck, the Bud Lite-swilling blowhard found in any bar on any Saturday night, under-tipping the bartender and copping a feel from the cocktail waitress.

But as he slowly discovers his fate, he strips away his schmuckness in layers, like an onion, with Braugher's Pembleton as Father Confessor and keeper of the knowledge that he is doomed. Together they reveal the character's essential humanity and vulnerability.

Pembleton is our surrogate, I think, because he doesn't like this guy much either, but goes in to do his job, and is eventually touched by him, as we are.

My words are feeble. Just see it. ... Read more